The first trade of the 2024 offseason has been made, and man is it a fun one. The Chicago Bulls are sending one of the most coveted assets on the market, Alex Caruso, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey. No draft picks are involved, a rare occurrence in today’s NBA, and even rarer for a trade involving Sam Presti and the Thunder.
Here are my immediate thoughts on the deal for both sides.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Going into this offseason, OKC needed to figure out who their fifth starter will be for the 2024-25 season. They just found their guy in Alex Caruso. And, outside of an All-Star like Lauri Markkanen or Paul George, Caruso is probably the best possible player they (realistically) could have gotten to round out their lineup.
So why is the Bald Mamba the perfect pickup for the Thunder? It starts with the defense. Caruso is one the premier non-big defenders in the sport. He has made All-Defense in back-to-back years (First team in 2023, second team in 2024), and was also the 2023-24 winner of the NBA Hustle Award. He’s an impeccable on-ball defender who can legitimately cover positions 1-4, if not all five. He will guard the other team’s best player every night and is capable of completely shutting them down. He pairs that on-ball coverage with ridiculous defensive playmaking ability. Caruso ranked in the 97th percentile of steals per 75 possessions and the 87th percentile of blocks per 75 possessions in 2023-24 (according to BBall Index).
The Thunder had the fourth best defense in the NBA this past season, and are now adding a guy who can take them to a whole other level on that end. That’s terrifying. The idea of trying to score against a lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, and Chet Holmgren gives me nightmares, and I’m not even in the NBA!
Beyond the defense, Caruso will be able to seamlessly fill an off-ball role on offense, which is exactly what OKC needs. He shot a career-best 40.8% from three in 2023-24 on 4.7 attempts per game, and 89% of his makes were assisted. He will reliably convert on open looks created by Oklahoma City’s stars, something Josh Giddey could not do. Caruso is also a very heady decision-maker and passer, a necessary trait for playoff rotation players.
The Thunder made a massive leap as a team this past season, finishing as the top seed in a loaded Western Conference. However, their second round loss to the Mavericks proved they were still a ways away from being true contenders. It feels safe to say Alex Caruso changes that. What a trade for OKC.
Chicago Bulls
Despite all the interest Alex Caurso was receiving on the trade market, the Bulls seemed dead set on keeping him in town. They probably turned down 100 first round picks in the last two years. For that reason, it’s very interesting that when they finally traded him, zero picks were involved. So, is Josh Giddey a worthy return for Chicago’s star role player? The immediate answer for many fans is absolutely not.
After a promising first two seasons, Giddey fell off a cliff in 2023-24 in terms of impact. Many nights, he was a liability on both ends. His jumper didn’t go in enough for defenders to respect it, allowing them to send extra help at OKC’s stars. His defense was flat-out poor and he was hunted relentlessly. The lights of competitive basketball were simply way too bright for him.
However, looking at the full picture, the Australian can’t be completely counted out yet. As mentioned, he had very nice rookie and sophomore seasons and proved he has some very intriguing upside. He even ranked 81st on the Bench Mob Blog’s Top 100 Players of the 2022-23 Season list. The fall-off he experienced can be attributed to two things: age and role.
Giddey is still just 21. He was drafted as a project player, and is very much still in the developmental stage. The Thunder’s timeline accelerated quickly, which forced him to play basketball at a level he shouldn’t have been expected to play at. After playing point guard for the majority of his career, Giddey was suddenly asked to play an off-ball, supporting role next to the team’s ascending superstars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, a role that minimized his ability to play to his major strengths: downhill scoring and playmaking.
The 2023-24 season for Josh Giddey was the equivalent of a parent tossing their toddler in the deep end of a pool and expecting them to be able to swim. He needs a team to be patient with him. And if this trade is a sign that Chicago is entering rebuild mode, they can be that team. Playing for a non-contender will take a ton of pressure off Giddey’s shoulders. He should be able to return to his natural position of point guard, opening things up for him to play the style of basketball he’s best at and find confidence.
So, despite what people on social media may be screaming at you, Josh Giddey still has potential. Don’t be surprised if he spreads his wings and flies in the Windy City.
The Bench Mob Blog 