The Oklahoma City Thunder wisely traded Josh Giddey to the Bulls in 2024, and things keep looking better as the 23-year-old guard’s status as a building block is up in the air. Giddey’s shooting has improved, but his defense and impact on winning are problems. The Thunder wisely traded him for Alex Caruso before the issues ruined their ascent.
This trade played a key role in the Bulls' revamping their front office. Everyone thought Oklahoma City would have to include draft capital in this deal, but that didn't happen. Sam Presti had more picks than the Thunder could ever make. Still, he didn’t give the Bulls any. It was a disastrous deal for Chicago.
Giddey got a four-year contract worth $100 million in the offseason. He is being paid like a starting point guard and key contributor. Caruso is making $19 million less over the next four years and just helped the Thunder win a championship with his unique skills. That alone was enough to make this trade a win, but things keep getting better by the day for OKC.
Thunder look smarter by the day for the Josh Giddey trade
Oklahoma City drafted Giddey with the sixth overall pick in 2021. He was immediately a starter and played a key role in the Thunder's exit from their rebuild. They drafted him to be a building block, which made benching him in the 2024 playoffs a massive decision. It was clear Jalen Williams was taking over as the number two behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which left Giddey as the odd man out.
Chicago had teams willing to give up multiple first-round draft picks to get Alex Caruso, but they chose to trade for Giddey instead. The Bulls clearly believed in his star potential and wanted to make him a building block. Arturas Karnisovas’ decision-making was always questionable. He bet big on Giddey, and it hasn’t worked out.
The Bulls have a negative-5.0 net rating with Giddey on the court this season. He averaged 17.0 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.3 rebounds, but Chicago is 21-33 with him in the lineup. That doesn’t scream building block. The Bulls lack talent around him, but keeping Giddey means constructing a roster around his flaws. That seems problematic at best.
The Thunder went from a second-round playoff exit to NBA champions after trading Josh Giddey. He is a talented player whom Oklahoma City believed in. SGA is better, so the Thunder had to dump Giddey to win it all. Presti was proven right again, and the Bulls are left questioning if the 6’7 guard should stay amid wholesale changes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder keep putting on a roster-building masterclass. The defending champions still have a mountain of draft capital to continue improving their squad. Sam Presti is the best lead executive in the NBA, and it is not even close. Of course, he traded Josh Giddey at exactly the right time and keeps looking wiser for doing it. That is what Presti does.