Thunder: 4 immediate reactions to Josh Giddey trade to Bulls for Alex Caruso

For months now, rumors have been circulating discussing how Josh Giddey may be playing out his final days with the OKC Thunder following an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign that saw his production dip compared to previous years and his off-court reputation take a bit of a hit.

Though such a scenario had been viewed for the longest time as merely speculative, Thursday evening Sam Presti and company opted to make it official, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke news that Oklahoma City has agreed to trade the former sixth overall pick to the Chicago Bulls.

Thunder trade Josh Giddey to Bulls for deal headlined by Alex Caruso

As reports currently suggest, the deal is a simple swap of players, with Giddey heading out to the Windy City in exchange for established 3-and-D veteran, Alex Caruso.

As is the case with any trade, differing thoughts and emotions are being expressed on both sides of the aisle, with some sighing with relief following the departure of the inconsistent guard while others scream redundancy when thinking of yet another defensive-minded two-guard coming out to Loud City.

When looking at the transaction as a whole, there are a few immediate reactions that must be acknowledged.

1. Sam Presti didn't give up any draft capital!?

Dating back to the trade deadline, it had been reported by numerous news outlets that the Chicago Bulls were looking for multiple first-round draft picks in exchange for Alex Caruso's services.

Though he may just be seen as a role player to some, someone who can guard multiple positions at an All-Defensive level and cash in on three-pointers at a career clip of 38.0 percent is incredibly valuable for a championship contender (just ask the Lakers).

As of this writing, the reported deal between the Thunder and Bulls appears to be a straight up swap of Giddey and Caruso.

Even with this treasure trove of draft capital at his disposal, GM Sam Presti managed to execute this deal without parting with any of these assets which, in and of itself, is rather impressive, especially when considering the fact that Chicago is already without their first-round rights for next year's festivities.