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

2. Finally, some championship experience for the Thunder!

Though Oklahoma City wrapped up this past campaign as the top seed in the Western Conference standings and even won a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade, even before round one started a major fear among fans and pundits alike was that this team severely lacked in familiarity of playing under the bright lights of the postseason.

Aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort's experience reaching the playoffs back in 2020 in the Lake Buena Vista bubble, no core Thunder player had ever taken part in such high-stakes play before 2024.

Unfortunately, against the more seasoned Dallas Mavericks during their Semifinal showdown, this proved to be a legitimate issue for the ball club, as they appeared discombobulated running sets against bigger opponents, often shot the ball out of panic, and, in the end, proved to be somewhat over their head.

Adding Caruso to this mix not only provides them with a tough-nosed talent who has played key roles on deep playoff and title-hopeful teams but also someone who knows what it takes to get over the hump and to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy, as he served as a heavily utilized contributor during the Los Angeles Lakers championship run back in 2020.