The NBA offseason is officially underway with a Josh Giddey and Alex Caruso trade between the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder.
This rare one-for-one trade came as a shock to fans everywhere, considering that the Bulls shipped off Caruso, fresh off his second straight All-Defensive Team appearance, and didn’t get any draft compensation whatsoever.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bulls see all-star potential in the third year Australian guard and view him as a possible replacement for the injured Lonzo Ball. Giddey’s playmaking has always been his biggest strength, and he should be getting a bigger role in a rebuilding situation.
But the obvious winner of this trade is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who massively upgraded in regards to their window of contention.
This Alex Caruso trade might just take the Thunder over the edge.
The Missing Piece
Caruso is easily one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He was a bright spot for a middle of the pack Bulls team for quite some time now, and the 30-year-old is arguably at his peak on both sides of the ball.
He’s been on the Thunder’s radar for a while, and even had a short stint in Oklahoma City before.
Last season, Caruso averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game shooting 46.8% from the field, a career high in each.
His role as a defensive pest, alongside an already great two-way superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander creates a very frightening sight for the rest of the West. The number one seed, on paper, now has the best defensive starting lineup in the conference with Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren.
This move seems eerily similar to when the Celtics acquired Derrick White from San Antonio two years ago.
But what makes this Thunder team even more frightening is the fact that they STILL have a plethora of draft capital and the full intention of upgrading to build around their young stars.
This Caruso trade already makes them dangerous, but it’s the fallout of what could happen next that should strike fear in the heart of the rest of the West.
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