NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls have made the first massive trade of the offseason.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Alex Caruso is headed to Oklahoma City in exchange for former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey. Caruso was heading into next season on an expiring contract and is currently extension-eligible. Wojnarowski stated that OKC plans to have the two-time All-Defensive guard as part of their long-term plans.
The Thunder are fresh off finishing the year 57-25 and at the top of the Western Conference. Their season came to a close in the second round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey!?
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Josh Giddey fell under hot water this past season for an off-the-court situation. Allegations were made that he had a relationship with an underage girl in high school after photos surfaced online. The 21-year-old didn’t face charges after no evidence turned up, per the police. The NBA also closed its investigation on Giddey in May. Nevertheless, Giddey’s reputation has taken a significant shot.
If we’re looking at this from a strictly basketball perspective – I’m … perplexed. Let’s start with the glass half-full point of view: Josh Giddey is a former lottery pick with extreme upside. He is still considered an extremely above-average playmaker who also possesses elite size at six-foot-eight. For a Bulls team that has been desperate for more primary playmaking, Giddey is the kind of player who will be able to provide just that.
Likewise, thanks to his combination of a towering frame and ball-handling ability in the backcourt, Giddey can finish over the top of smaller defenders. He’s also a really good rebounder who has averaged nearly 7.3 boards per game during his three seasons in the league. The opportunity he’ll have to play with the ball in his hands in Chicago could help him get back on track after a pretty disappointing year. The additions of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams slowly started to weed Giddey out of the picture in OKC.
If we’re going to take anyone positive away from this deal, however, it might as well be what this kind of trade means for the franchise. Arturas Karnisovas vowed for change, and this suggests that it could really be on the horizon. Giddey implies the Bulls will go younger and prioritize player development. The future home of DeMar DeRozan with free agency looming now feels like it could be elsewhere.
So what about the half-glass empty point of view? Well, unfortunately, that’s pretty easy. Giddey is coming off a year where he averaged career lows across the board. Again, his role changed pretty drastically with the Thunder’s other young players in town, but it was still discouraging to see. This is especially true when we consider he is a subpar defender (despite his great size) AND a pretty rancid 3-point shooter.
Indeed, the last thing the Chicago Bulls need is another player who can’t knock down long-range buckets. Giddey was so unreliable that teams started to leave him wide open in the playoffs, which led the Thunder to play him just 18.1 minutes per game over their 10 postseason contests.
If this Giddey trade came tied to some draft capital, I’d imagine we’d all feel a lot differently about it. Caruso had reportedly been attracting deals worth multiple first-round picks around the deadline. Giddey may be one of the best prospects offered in a potential deal, but it sure feels like the Bulls should have been able to squeeze a pick out of OKC. They had all the leverage, after all! And OKC has an endless supply!
This feels especially bad when we consider that Giddey is owed just $1.5 million less than Caruso next season and is also on an expiring deal! The Bulls will now have to pay Giddey to ensure they don’t end up with nothing from this Caruso deal. Seriously, how do you not at least get a protected pick back under those circumstances?
So, yeah, I’m completely conflicted. On the one hand, I guess I like what this means for the trajectory of the franchise. On the other hand, I’m worried the Bulls screwed up this trade and might just screw up all the other trades to come.
Good for Alex Caruso, though. He gets to now play for a franchise that truly knows what they’re doing.
