The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped one of the first dominos of the 2024 offseason when they shipped Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso.
The deal was met with approval for the Thunder. They swapped out a misplaced fit in Giddey with a seamless fit in Caruso. The 30-year-old is one of the best 3-and-D players in the league.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe was a huge fan of the addition for the Thunder. He spoke about the deal on “NBA Today” on Friday. He notes the back-to-back All-Defensive member makes OKC an even bigger threat to win a championship next season.
“Be very afraid. Be very, very afraid,” Lowe said. “Shooting, defense, the amount of steals this team is going to get is going to be ridiculous. You have to guard him. He rounds out an already great team.”
Even though Giddey had his worst season yet and was benched near the end of the playoffs, there’s still a pathway for him to be a quality starter. It wouldn’t happen in OKC as he went from primary ball-handler his first two seasons to an off-ball role this past season, which was hard to succeed in as a non-shooter.
Being asked to come off the bench for the Thunder was a breaking point for Giddey. He’d rather get moved to a squad that gives him a chance to return to playmaker duties.
Both parties get a fresh start. The Thunder get a better fit who could start while the Bulls have an opportunity to see if Giddey can be a long-term starter for them as they likely enter a rebuild.
