TRADE: OKC gets Caruso | CHI gets Giddey

[SleepingHero]

Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn)
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey, sources tell ESPN.

[SleepingHero]

Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn)
Caruso is entering the final year of his deal and becomes eligible for a four-year, approximately $80M extension exactly six months from the date of this trade. The Thunder made the trade with the hope to have Caruso as an integral player for the long-term.

[SleepingHero]

Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA)
Stunned that Bulls got nothing back in the way of picks for someone like Caruso.

[SleepingHero]

Evan Sidery (@esidery)
Involving Alex Caruso, the Bulls had multiple offers on the table at the trade deadline for first-round draft capital.

Chicago instead decided to continue pushing forward for a playoff push.

Another example of bad asset management from Chicago waiting too long to capitalize.

[SleepingHero]

Evan Sidery (@esidery)
The Bulls have traded Alex Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey, per @wojespn.

Oklahoma City makes their championship move, while Chicago resets with their new point guard.

No draft compensation coming from OKC alongside Giddey.



NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral)
Josh Giddey has All-Star potential, per @wojespn

“The Bulls have been determined to find a playmaker to replace Lonzo Ball, and Giddey , 21, comes with an All-Star potential that would unlikely be realized with the Thunder because of the playmaking starpower who surrounded him.”

[SleepingHero]

Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb)
Source: The Bulls passed on multiple offers to trade Alex Caruso for multiple picks, including one in the top 10 of the 2024 draft

The reason? A mandate from ownership at the trade deadline to push for the playoffs

[SleepingHero]

@wojespn
The trade delivers the Thunder one of the league’s most coveted role players, a 30-year old guard who GM Sam Presti has long pursued for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Caruso’s arrival could be seen as an addition comparable to the Golden State Warriors acquisition of Andre Iguodala in 2013. Both were 30 years old.

[audiosway]

Dang. I wanted Caruso for a while now. Great defender and piece for a team as a contender.

[SleepingHero]

Dang. I wanted Caruso for a while now. Great defender and piece for a team as a contender.

Honestly shocked CHI couldn't get at least 1 FRP from OKC in this deal. Seems like they well and truly gave up or that they valued Giddey that much which is puzzling a bit. 

Its a great trade for OKC, although it's weird that they've seemingly doubled down on undersized elite defenders. They have Dort, Wallace, and now Caruso. If they don't do anything else (which would be surprising) their starting line up would be:

SGA (6'6)
J-Dub (6'5)
Caruso (6'5)
Dort (6'3)
Chet (7'1) 

What a weird lineup.

[KillerLeft]

Honestly shocked CHI couldn't get at least 1 FRP from OKC in this deal. Seems like they well and truly gave up or that they valued Giddey that much which is puzzling a bit. 

Its a great trade for OKC, although it's weird that they've seemingly doubled down on undersized elite defenders. They have Dort, Wallace, and now Caruso. If they don't do anything else (which would be surprising) their starting line up would be:

SGA (6'6)
J-Dub (6'5)
Caruso (6'5)
Dort (6'3)
Chet (7'1) 

What a weird lineup.

It's designed to beat Dallas and ESPECIALLY Boston, which is pretty damn smart, if you ask me. If they run into Denver, they might have some trouble. 

Chicago must really, really believe in Giddey as a Lonzo Ball replacement. This doesn't feel like a "sell" of Caruso to me, more like a "buy" of Giddey. But yeah, I agree that it feels like holding out for a pick might've worked out.

[audiosway]

It's designed to beat Dallas and ESPECIALLY Boston, which is pretty damn smart, if you ask me. If they run into Denver, they might have some trouble. 

Chicago must really, really believe in Giddey as a Lonzo Ball replacement. This doesn't feel like a "sell" of Caruso to me, more like a "buy" of Giddey. But yeah, I agree that it feels like holding out for a pick might've worked out.

That's what I was thinking too. It's basically a team full of wings and a shot blocker designed to beat Boston and Dallas. Scary.

[SleepingHero]

It's designed to beat Dallas and ESPECIALLY Boston, which is pretty damn smart, if you ask me. If they run into Denver, they might have some trouble. 

Chicago must really, really believe in Giddey as a Lonzo Ball replacement. This doesn't feel like a "sell" of Caruso to me, more like a "buy" of Giddey. But yeah, I agree that it feels like holding out for a pick might've worked out.

I think Dallas' size was what destroyed OKC. I don't think the addition of Caruso really prevents that. Sure it's another fantastic defender, but the reason why Boston stifled the Mavs was because not only were their top 4 defenders were elite, but they were also huge.

Tatum 6'8, Brown 6'6, Holiday and White are both 6'4 but play much bigger than their size actually is.

If OKC can actually get some size then watch out because they're essentially re-creating Boston 2.0 right now.

[BolsDamols]

It's designed to beat Dallas

I love that teams are designing their rosters to beat Dallas now.. such a refreshing feeling

[Jason Terry]

What a shame Chicago. Can you imagine how pissed you would be if you were a bulls fan? I would give up

Well, no secret to why Boston has a cake walk to the finals every year. Half of the east are the most inept franchises in the league making moves like this

……………………

Cooling off….big picture this has similarities to the Siakam and OG trades. Teams prioritizing young players with control over picks. Maybe we should pump up our trade value of Green and Hardy in fake trades

[KillerLeft]

I think Dallas' size was what destroyed OKC. I don't think the addition of Caruso really prevents that. Sure it's another fantastic defender, but the reason why Boston stifled the Mavs was because not only were their top 4 defenders were elite, but they were also huge.

Tatum 6'8, Brown 6'6, Holiday and White are both 6'4 but play much bigger than their size actually is.

If OKC can actually get some size then watch out because they're essentially re-creating Boston 2.0 right now.

It's not about how great of a defender he is, it's about the fact that he's ANOTHER defender. We just got through watching how the Boston defensive approach literally RUINED the Dallas "offense" so I'm not sure I agree with you...but...

...what I meant was that they immediately fixed the problem Dallas, specifically, exploited to beat them in that series. Giddey gone, Caruso in, so now, just like with Boston,  OKC won't have anyone on the floor who doesn't have to be guarded. This, plus another year of development from Chet and Williams, and all the size in the world won't matter a bit, just like it didn't against Boston. That's what I'm saying. 

Dallas has size, yes, but it's not size you have to game plan against, defensively. Turns out it was pretty doable for Boston to use matchups to keep the Dallas centers from helping in the paint and off of the glass. Trivial for them, even. I see OKC going down that same path, AND they're simultaneously heading off all the teams who watched how Dallas just beat them with ideas of copying that strategy. It's genius, honestly. 

Dan has been right all along. Dallas needs to be focused on getting better, not just executing the same plan better.

[Chicagojk]

I sort of like the move for Chicago. Although this also depends on the other moves they make. Sell, sell, sell. They could have gotten picks (multiple). They decided giddey is with the gamble. He is still 21 years old. Close to Jaden’s age. I think he can still be a good player. I like a lot of things he brings. He just need to become a better shooter. Him and Coby White feels like a good backcourt.

They need to move Lavine, DeRozan and Vucevic. Keep white, Ayo and Patrick Williams. Be bad this year and look to get a high pick in a supposedly good class next year.

I would have hated the last few Bulls season. No hope to be a contender since the Lonzo injuries. Just battled for 9th place in the East. That is no where to strive to be.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Honestly shocked CHI couldn't get at least 1 FRP from OKC in this deal. Seems like they well and truly gave up or that they valued Giddey that much which is puzzling a bit. 

Its a great trade for OKC, although it's weird that they've seemingly doubled down on undersized elite defenders. They have Dort, Wallace, and now Caruso. If they don't do anything else (which would be surprising) their starting line up would be:

SGA (6'6)
J-Dub (6'5)
Caruso (6'5)
Dort (6'3)
Chet (7'1) 

What a weird lineup.

And they are far from done dealing. I expect them to make a run at another big like Hartenstein, Claxton or Allen. They virtually can make any move they want with all the poker chips they have.

[The Jom]

If they can find a modern big to play behind Chet (or with him), I will be scared of OKC. But not quite yet. To me the headline of this trade is Mavs ruined the State of Oklahoma for Josh Giddey.

After that series, he simply had to go. (Really glad Kidd didn’t ever take the bait and bench Gafford for same reason.)

[Scott41theMavs]

With this move, OKC pulls even with Dallas in the on-paper "power rankings." If 1) OKC adds another starter, 2) Dallas cannot retain DJJ, and/or 3) Dallas cannot make moves that offset those two, then OKC pulls ahead.

It seemed to me that lots of talking heads disrespected Dallas's run (and, in the Finals, calumniously attacked Luka's defense, as if him playing defense several notches better than he usually does wasn't a gigantic part of why the Mavs won those first three series - he oughta be able to sue them for outright lying, tbh), but this is the nature of the West. If they don't improve their 8-man rotation - and not just by means of Lively's internal growth or prayin'/wishin'/hopin' about OMax, Green, and/or Hardy - then several other teams in the West are in position to pull past them.

[mvossman]

What a disaster. Probably my top target from an on the court fit and availability standpoint, and he ends up on one of our bigest rivals for a player that we feasted on during the playoffs. This one stings.