The Chicago Bulls traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, the teams announced on Friday. Caruso, an All-Defense guard who spent the past three seasons in Chicago after winning the 2020 championship with the Lakers, has been the subject of trade rumors for several years now. The Bulls have resisted offers built around draft picks throughout his entire time in Chicago.
But in Giddey, the Bulls land a former No. 6 overall pick who was in desperate need of a fresh start. Giddey has been a starter for Oklahoma City since he arrived, but his failure to develop as a 3-point shooter doomed him on a roster that already had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at point guard. His role diminished throughout the postseason and he was benched in the final two games against the Dallas Mavericks.
In Chicago, his fate may be tied to the rest of the roster. If DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are back, his weakness as a shooter will likely continue to hold him back. He is best suited as a full-time point guard, and those on-ball reps won’t be available if DeRozan and LaVine are still there. DeRozan is set to become a free agent and LaVine has been the subject of his own trade rumors, though, so this move indicates that the Bulls are ready for a more significant rebuild around Giddey and Most Improved Player runner-up Coby White.
As for the Thunder? They bring back a role player who actually started his career in their organization. The undrafted Caruso spent his rookie year playing for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League. He’s since blossomed with the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and now he returns to Oklahoma City as a readymade championship role player.
Caruso is one of the best defensive perimeter players in basketball. He is capable of guarding just about every position except center, and his 3-point percentage improved to 40.8% last season. The Thunder earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season. Now, with their youngsters growing and a year of playoff experience under their belts, Oklahoma City is going for it in 2025.