The Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey, sources told KeynoteUSA on Thursday.
The trade gives the Thunder one of the league’s most coveted role players, a 30-year-old guard who general manager Sam Presti has long sought for the Western Conference’s No. 1 job last postseason. Caruso’s arrival could be seen as a comparable addition to the Golden State Warriors‘ acquisition of Andre Iguodala in 2013. At the time of that deal, Iguodala was also 30 years old.
The Bulls have been determined to find a playmaker to replace Lonzo Ball and Giddey, 21, comes with All-Star potential that could hardly be realized with the Thunder due to the playmaking star power that gives him surrounded Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP runner-up last season and there is an expectation that the franchise will want to give 7-foot Chet Holmgren even more playmaking duties.
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Giddey was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and became one of the most creative young playmakers in the league. The Bulls will offer him the opportunity to have the ball in his hands and more freedom to pass and score. They needed an engine for their offense and they got it with Giddey.
Giddey played a career-high 80 games for the Thunder last season, but finally began to come off the bench in the Western Conference playoffs. His scoring average fell from 16.6 points last season to 12.3 points this season as his role with the Thunder evolved. Giddey has 11 career triple-doubles, the fourth-most for a player 21 or younger, behind only Luka Doncic, Magic Johnson and Ben Simmons, according to KeynoteUSA Stats & Information research.
Caruso shot 41% on 3-pointers and ranked fourth in the NBA in steals last season. He ranked second in half-court defensive matchups against 2024 NBA All-Star players, behind only new Thunder teammate Luguentz Dort, according to KeynoteUSA Stats & Info.
The addition of Caruso gives the Thunder three of the best on-ball defenders among point guards in the league: Caruso, Dort and Cason Wallace.
Caruso will be eligible for a four-year, $80 million contract extension six months from the date of this trade. He is entering the last year of his contract. The Thunder made the deal in hopes of keeping Caruso as an integral part of their team long-term, sources said.
Giddey is eligible to negotiate a rookie-scale extension as a member of the 2021 draft class.
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