Thunder star Jalen Williams breaks silence on Josh Giddey trade: 'Really does suck'

Earlier this summer, the reigning top-seeded OKC Thunder opted to take part in a rather splashy move that altered their core arguably for the better.

In late June, Sam Presti and company opted to ship out 2021 lottery pick and key cog within the club's young foundation Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the likes of veteran 3-and-D wing, Alex Caruso.

A move some have tabbed as an "A++++++" decision, the trade has widely been viewed as a great success for Oklahoma City, as they managed to move on from the talented, albeit ill-fitting point guard who's entering the final year of his rookie deal in exchange for an established NBA Champion who, during his professional tenure, has established himself as one of the league's best role players.

However, though logically the blockbuster made sense for the Thunder, it doesn't mean that this sentiment has made the loss of Giddey an easy reality to accept for his former teammates and, more importantly, friends, as Jalen Williams recently opened up to Thunderous Intentions about his feelings on the whole exchange.

Jalen Williams reveals thoughts on Thunder trading Josh Giddey

"Our team has a unique bond and a special chemistry that extends beyond basketball. So, whenever somebody gets traded on our team or released or whatever it is, we understand it's a business, but it really does suck... Josh had a lot going on this year, too, so I think somebody his age going through all that, being able to play, you know, I kind of have to tip my hat to him just to be able to kind of do that. I think as a team we wanted to be there for him and I think we were. It definitely hurt watching him go through that trade but at the end of the day it's a business... We're excited for him to take that next step, but it did suck watching somebody, like it's almost a family member moving away. We're going to stay in contact but we're looking forward for him for his success and hopefully our continued success."

- Jalen Williams

Giddey and Williams were selected by the Thunder in back-to-back drafts, with the former being snatched up at sixth overall in 2021 and the latter at 12 in 2022. Throughout their tenure, they rose the ranks alongside one another and even participated in the 2023 NBA Rising Stars exhibition as teammates.

Williams has been an outspoken supporter of Giddey throughout the highs and lows of his career, especially during this past season where the point guard dealt with off-court issues and on-court inconsistencies. It seems his praise-filled commentary on his, now, former teammate is continuing, as he believes that, on top of OKC bringing on a top-flight player in Alex Caruso, the Bulls landed one themselves in the process.

"I think the Bulls are getting another great player. It's kind of somewhere for Josh to kind of restart and kind of bloom. I don't really expect anything less than success for Josh. He's a great person, great dude, great basketball player. The Bulls would be happy to have him. [I'm] kind of just ready for him to blossom and get better as a player. I think everybody forgets that he's 21, so he has so much career left."

- Jalen Williams

Despite the instability that came in both his game and personal life last season, the third-year pro still managed to finish with solid per-game averages of 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the floor and, during the final 22 games of the regular season he managed to find a groove reminiscent of his sophomore breakout, as he dropped 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 54.2 percent shooting from the floor and 36.6 percent shooting from deep.

Sporting the build of a modern-day wing (6-foot-8, 216 pounds) yet boasting the skill set of a true floor general, Giddey heads out to Chicago with the tools necessary to excel while running an offense already consisting of established All-Stars like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Because of this, though J-Dub may admit to being sad to see his friend depart from the Thunder, knowing his potential as a player and seeing the situation he's heading into with the Bulls, more than anything, it seems that he's excited to see what's next in store for the highly versatile talent.