1. The Alex Caruso trade
It’s no secret that Sam Presti is a magician when it comes to trades. He proved that once again when he went out and acquired Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls.
Caruso is undeniably one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He’s made a two-time All-Defensive team selectee and received Defensive Player of the Year votes in both of the last two seasons.
Additionally, the veteran is coming off the best season of his career, where he averaged career highs in points (10.1), blocks (1.0), and field goal percentage (.468%.) He also shot .408 percent from three-point range during the 2023-2024 regular season.
For one of the best defenders in the league whose offensive game is improving each year, you would assume the Thunder had to pay a hefty toll.
You’d be mistaken, for, despite turning down offers from the Kings and Warriors where Chicago would’ve netted multiple first-round picks, Oklahoma City didn’t trade one single draft right in the deal for Caruso.
Instead, it was a straight-up one-for-one deal that sent the sixth overall pick in 2021’s NBA Draft, Josh Giddey, to Chi-Town.
Good defensive players are hard to come by in the NBA, and we saw that with the king's ransom that the Nets got in return for Mikal Bridges from the Knicks.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle on a trade to send F Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/TEGsIpoa3b
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2024
New York shelled out four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick, and a pick swap to bring in Bridges. In addition, Bojan Bogdanovic is set to have a homecoming in Brooklyn through this deal.
While there is no question Bridges is a better player then Caruso, the value Oklahoma City got in the Caruso deal is an absolute steal.