Many former Oklahoma City Thunder players have found themselves breaking out with their new ball clubs during this year's campaign.
From Tre Mann's pre-injury dominance with the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the season to Ty Jerome's surprise role serving as a core rotation player with the 59-14 Cleveland Cavaliers, ex-OKC ballers seem to be all the rage in 2024-25.
However, none seem to hold a candle to Josh Giddey's elite level of play during his debut season with the Chicago Bulls.
Throughout his five months of action out in the Windy City, the 22-year-old has managed to put forth some of the best play of his professional career, particularly over these past few months.
Since the All-Star break, there's an argument to be made that Giddey has been the best player in the NBA, as he's been posting sensational all-around averages of 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and just shy of a block while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor and 51.7 percent from deep.
Most recently, the point guard was seen capping off an epic last-second comeback Bulls win over the Los Angeles Lakers that not only saw him record a triple-double (25 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) but also seal the game with a buzzer-beating halfcourt heave.
With his recent showings of on-court excellence, coupled with the fact that Chicago is now in a realistic position to claim a previously unforeseen Play-In Tournament berth, questions over whether the Thunder made the right decision to move on from Giddey this past offseason via the Alex Caruso trade have started to circulate across media outlets and social platforms.
Though such conversations may be good for engagement purposes, it may be time to pump the breaks on this kind of chatter.
Thunder should not regret Josh Giddey trade even with recent breakout
As noted, Giddey finds himself not just amid a sensational two-month stretch but, frankly, a career year with the Bulls.
In 64 games played, the point guard is averaging 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from deep.
Now, it's easy to look at this career-year narrative and his on-paper production and think that the Thunder may have messed up by trading him away this summer, especially when considering they could actually use another playmaker and ball handler within their arsenal.
However, context is key.
Giddey's role with the Bulls is drastically different than what it was during his three seasons spent in OKC and what it would have been had he stayed for a fourth.
With the Thunder, he was often found playing off-ball, ceding touches and offensive set-up duties to superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Throughout this time, it was more than evident that the point guard's skill set was not equipped to benefit from such usage, particularly considering his catch-and-shoot abilities were far from reliable as he boasted a pedestrian effective field goal percentage of 51.3 on such plays during his final season.
Instead, Giddey's style of play is that of an on-ball floor general and quarterback of the court. With SGA clearly the focal point in the OKC backcourt, coming across such a role in the Sooner State would have been impossible.
With the Bulls, especially this iteration without former star Zach LaVine (traded ahead of the February 6 deadline to the Kings), such a role was ripe for the taking.
Since LaVine's departure, Josh Giddey has found himself receiving a career-high usage rate of 24.0 percent and has been a top-flight focal point of Chicago's scheme, which, in turn, has led to his recent breakout.
Being he was selected as high as the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, it was always believed that the point guard had to talent and potential to impact the game at the rate he currently is with the Bulls. Because of this, seeing his success with Chicago should not come as a shock.
However, this doesn't mean the Thunder should now have any regrets about trading him away last summer. Sometimes, a player, even one as talented as Giddey, can't fit within a team's game plan or alongside other players.
Frankly, it's just the nature of the game.
Josh Giddey would have never played the type of role he currently is with the Bulls had he stayed put in Oklahoma City and, thus, would likely not have been producing at the same he is in 2024-25.
Because of this, the Thunder organization and fanbase should not be second-guessing the Giddey for Caruso swap, especially considering just how impactful the latter has been in his first year with the club.