The Bulls and Thunder have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, with guard Josh Giddey heading to Chicago, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The deal isn’t official yet, but it sounds like it will be a straight-up, one-for-one swap. It won’t include any draft compensation, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman and Marc Stein (Twitter links)
Caruso, one of the NBA’s best point-of-attack defenders, has earned All-Defensive nods and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old has also developed into a reliable three-point shooter, making 40.8% of his 4.7 attempts per game in 2023/24 to push his career rate to 38.0%.
In 71 total games for the Bulls last season, Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest, with a .468/.408/.760 shooting line. He’ll add even more defensive firepower to a Thunder team that ranked fourth in defensive rating (111.0) in ’23/24 and also features lockdown defenders like Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace.
The Bulls had resisted trade offers for Caruso in recent years, but decided to part with him as he enters the final year of his current contract. He’ll earn $9.89MM in 2024/25 and will be extension-eligible beginning in July, though he won’t become eligible for his maximum extension (four years, $78MM+) until six months after the trade.
If he doesn’t sign a new contract with Oklahoma City at some point during the coming league year, Caruso will reach unrestricted free agency next summer. However, Wojnarowski (Twitter links) reports that the Thunder had pursued the veteran guard for a while and are making the deal with an eye toward keeping him long-term.
As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer points out (via Twitter), it will be a reunion for Oklahoma City and Caruso, who played for the OKC Blue in the G League under Mark Daigneault in 2016/17.
Giddey, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, started all 210 regular season games he played for the Thunder over the past three seasons and showed intriguing upside as a play-maker during that time. His best season came in 2022/23, when he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on .482/.325/.731 shooting.
However, Giddey took a step back in ’23/24, averaging a career-low 12.3 PPG and 4.8 APG as his playing time dipped from 31.1 MPG to 25.1 MPG. While he improved his three-point percentage to 33.7%, he remained inconsistent from beyond the arc, resulting in opposing defenses sagging off of him. That led to the Thunder eventually moving him to the second unit for the first time in his career during the team’s second-round playoff series vs. Dallas.
Giddey was also the subject of investigations by the NBA and local police due to allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, but both the league and police closed their investigations into that matter due to a lack of corroborating evidence.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Bulls had been “determined” to find a play-maker capable of replacing Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined due to knee problems since January of 2022 and is entering the final year of his contract. There’s optimism in Chicago that Giddey, still just 21 years old, will have a clearer path to realizing his full potential in a situation where he has the ball in his hands more often — he often ceded ball-handling duties to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City.
The deal will save the Bulls a little money in 2024/25, with Giddey set to earn $8.35MM in the final year of his rookie contract. The difference between that figure and Caruso’s isn’t massive, but could end up being significant, given that Chicago’s team salary could approach or surpass the luxury tax line this offseason.
Like Caruso, Giddey will be extension-eligible with his new team. The Bulls will have until the day before the start of the regular season to negotiate a rookie scale extension with their new lead guard. If they don’t come to terms by that point, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2025.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), this will be the first time the Bulls have made a trade involving a player since August 2021. It sounds like it probably won’t be the last deal the team makes this summer, with Zach LaVine and Ball said to be among the other trade candidates to watch.
Great trade for Bulls. Caruso is overrated. Just keep Giddey away from the young chicks please….
Another delusional bulls Stan
Nah we don’t claim him. Gonna miss AC, favorite player on last years team. Hopefully Giddey pans out
At least I don’t have to worry about the Bulls drafting another wing that can’t shoot. We just got another one. Oh wait , maybe they will draft another one just for grins. You can never have enough guys who can’t shoot in today’s NBA.
People have been saying that his entire career yet everyone seems to want him. Interesting.
Quite possibly the dumbest comment I’ve seen. Good job
Agree your comment is one of the most ridiculous and dumbest comments ever seen.
Legit 3-and-D guard who can guard across 3-4 positions with two All-Defense selections the past two seasons and seems fine with being an unselfish energy player. I’m pretty certain most, if not all, other 28 teams in the NBA would LOVE to have him on their roster. But yes please enlighten everyone else on what makes him overrated.
Some people don’t see defense as a great commodity. This is a great trade for both teams. Bulls get a young player with potential while OKC gets one of the best defensive players. OKC can afford to let Giddey go because they have so many picks to get even younger.
This is an embarrassing trade as a bulls fan, the worst part about the bulls is their shooting and it got worse, they want a playmaker to replace Lonzo? Lonzo got injured while soldiers were in Vietnam, not too mention Giddey is a creep and clearly paid off a family, this ownership group is a disgrace
It’s a high risk high reward imo. Bulls actually do need playmaking, Coby can playmake a little but he’s more score-first. Can’t factor zo into anything, as much as I’m rooting for him.
If Giddey has already reached his peak, then this is a massive L for bulls. But there’s a world where he pans out more. The off court stuff is rough I’ll agree with u there.
I assume this means the bulls aren’t bringing demar back, idk how the spacing would work with demar, Giddey, and a big.
Giddy is 21.
Yes, but sometimes players don’t significantly improve after entering the league.
If Giddey paid off a family, there wasn’t any evidence to support the girls claim, and he paid them to stop dragging his name through the mud. Not trying to defend creepy actions, but you are assuming the worst, when this has been a common ploy for women to extract money from young wealthy black men with no education.
Agree.
Yes, let’s start to trade
My grade
Thunder get A-
Bulls get B
Career Stats Compared to Jalen Green
Giddey
14
7
6
47%
Green
20
4
3
42%
My grade.
Sillivan = F
Green didn’t get traded. So why would anyone care??
There’s your answer
The Bulls struck a cord and it’s probably A-Minor!!
Haha gotta love this Kendrick bar
I hope the Bulls are getting at least a 1st coming back in this deal.
Yeah it’s a weird about face from wanting a lot of compensation for Caruso…
Giddey might be a few years away from being what the Bulls want him to be…
Love this for OKC, Caruso is better at everything except playmaking. He & Dort are gonna be hell on guys like Book/Luka/Ant… Bulls obv don’t have faith in Lonzo to come back and play big mins & i can’t blame them. Giddey is extremely similar to Lonzo so maybe he blossoms when he gets to control the offense more, same way Lonzo did.
Agreed….i’m sad to see Giddey go as he was my fav player but I also understood the move and it wasn’t so much the playoff performance, it was the emergence of Jalen Williams and Giddey becoming expendable.
I think Shai is moreso the guy who Giddey had trouble coexisting with, not JDub. Giddey is gonna be much better with the ball in his hands more. That wasn’t possible with Shai being as great as he is
Giddey and picks right???
Evidently just a straight up deal
A big on-court thing here is that Caruso is also an outstanding rebounder for a guard – better than Giddey even tho Giddey is taller. So Caruso improves their rebounding while still allowing them to play 5-out and switch on D
Giddey grabs twice as many rebounds than Caruso… but, don’t let the facts get in the way of your narrative, right?
That’s a huge win for CHI & another miss by OKC.
Giddey didn’t seem to have much effort a lot of the time. That off-court drama seemed to really get to him, I’m assuming. As a Lakers fan, I’m still mad they let Caruso go. That dude is all effort.
Giddey career 7.3 reb
Caruso career 2.9 reb
Really ?????!!
The Thunder need to make another move. Maybe they’re confident they’re getting Hartenstein. They some length. As is that’s four starters 6’6″ or shorter. Maybe they feel Jaylin Williams is ready to start next season.
Hartenstein would be great off the bench for OKC but he’s about to get too expensive for that. The fit would be great though
Not really, good sixth man getting 20M a year is new norm in NBA, Ihart fits that.
Good for both, Giddey is a point guard. The addition of Wallace and play of Joe, Wiggins has seen the production of Giddey slide with OKC. Now go get a Centre, Chet can play the four. Just another kick in the nuts for L.A. bye Alex…oops, come back Alex.
Chet is clearly a 5. And what does LA have to do with this trade bw the Bulls/Thunder?
Lakers wanted Alex back after trading him. Chet can easily play the four, got abused at the five. That will only continue with his body type.
Holmgren was abused so bad he defended 8.6 shots per game at the rim which was the third most behind Embiid and Lopez. On those attempts opponents shot %52.4 which was fourth lowest amongst the top rim protectors only bested by Embiid, Gobert, and Porzingis.
Great, if rim protection was the only attribute needed in the nba to succeed. Looked like a boy against Men vs Dallas. Are you saying OKC don’t have a hole to fill at the five? Don’t need some muscle in the west with Jokic in Denver. Davis in L.A. (still suck by the way) Kat, Rudy and Naz in Minny. Hell Gafford, Lively and Kleber beat the kid up.
Lol you can’t stop talking about the Lakers it’s hilarious
Well here’s another….Lakers are going nowhere fast, this dysfunctional band of misfits will make hilarious viewing….man lakers stink LOL. LETS GO CELTICS….
I think we found the Celtics fan equivalent to 8Rings, lmao.
Straight up? Man, this is an absolute steal for OKC if this is just a player swap. Giddey wasn’t fitting with the scheme anymore. It also looked like he was mostly just going through the motions. I thought for sure 1 first round pick or 2 2nds would have to be involved to get Caruso, especially since OKC still has plenty of picks available. Nicely done, Sam Presti.
Sorry LBJ. Your friend not coming back to LA. Poor baby LoL
What’s your problem? I just commented on this trade, fool. LeBron has nothing to do with it
Big win for okc…g0dd d4mnn akme
Thunder annihilated on this trade, they’re winning 60+ easy next year with Caruso there instead of overrated Giddey. Chicago stays mid.
I like trade as a bulls fan but it definitely seems like they could have gotten an additional pick out of this.
Bulls got a great deal. Giddey is the next great PG. Excellent vision and positional size. He does need the ball. As he is more a traditional PG (pass first).
Caruso can help OKC. But it’s not close. Bulls won this trade.
Do you think he can start with Coby? I actually could see them playing off of each other well.
Starting to wonder if the Bulls are maybe thinking “let’s make this squad a knockoff version of the 2015 Warriors”. Coby and Ayo are a good backcourt duo, with Coby being dangerous with and without the ball and Ayo being more of an off-ball guy who can space and cut efficiently while playing tough defense. Giddey can pass, rebound, drive, and defend a pretty wide variety of players. He’s not Draymond, but he’s big and physical and can make great passes. P-Will being a good spacer and a big body who can defend at the 3, filling Harrison Barnes’ spot. And then Vuc filling the Bogut card. Daley Terry is also a hellacious defender they can insert off the bench.
Not a 1-for-1, and obviously the Warriors were leagues better. But on paper, it looks similar enough that I’m wondering if that’s the actual thought.
Yes cause he’s bigger and can guard SG. Coby is more offense. So should see more good looks. Imo Giddey has not peaked yet. I really like him as a PG. great trade for Bulls
Agree with knick.
I’m prolly a wee bit higher on Giddey and not as high on the multiple firsts for Caruso rumors but this is still utter incompetence by Chi
Why not advertise Ac a little first ?
And say you do love JG you couldn’t have at least squeezed 3 2nds or a 1st outta them ? You could have
Well we know Presti is stellar at the layup line , perhaps with Lady Luck at his side that’s all he will ever really need
I’m wedging my way to the front of the table if I see this guy rolling craps in summer league
This is a terrible deal for the Bulls.
1. You’ve already got a point guard in Coby White, that’s the only promising young starter on your roster. Not to mention behind him you’ve got Lonzo, Ayo and Jevon. Why did you need a 5th point guard?
2. It was just a couple days ago that it was reported the one team offered a top 10 pick for him and another team offered 2 first round picks.
Yet for whatever reason you value Josh Giddey as better value than that….
3. I understand you want a playmaker to replace Lonzo, and you’ve tried to find someone like for like but the big difference is Lonzo had a really solid shot on him and Giddey can’t shoot. Lonzo has a better handle, better vision and better basketball IQ.
To me Giddey is closer to Killian Hayes than Lonzo Ball. I think this is a massive W for the OKC Thunder. AC is a terrific defender, a much better shooter and someone who gives real energy. Happy to play off ball, doesn’t care if he’s a starter or not, can guard 1-4. This is massive for them and sets them up perfectly to bring in another big in FA.
Just watch OKC finish next season as a top 3 seed again and the bulls miss the play in and this trade just be laughed at in a years time
“It was just a couple days ago that it was reported the one team offered a top 10 pick for him and another team offered 2 first round picks. Yet for whatever reason you value Josh Giddey as better value than that….”
While I don’t like the trade for Chicago Giddey is better value than that. He’s 21 years old. this draft is awful.
Completely disagree, just from the guards alone I’d rather Carter, Dillingham, Castle and Topic all over Giddey.
Chicago doesn’t even need another point guard they could’ve used that top 10 pick to grab a forward like Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, Dalton Knecht or Cody Williams, again all guys I’d rather have than Giddey who’s on the final year of his contract….
Its bulls,always terrible…
Yeah we wouldn’t have wanted all those first round picks that’s why we traded Markkanen for one we’ll never see. They just get in the way of the real goal which is losing. If you have a bunch of first round picks you have to make them and open yourself up to a bunch of scrutiny. By the way, #11 anyone?
The Thunder smashed this trade…
Bulls have been wanting picks for Caruso, taking back Giddey shows they are not putting Lonzo in their starting 5 plans for now…
Giddey is young and has time to improve, but OKC just needed an upgrade over what he brought to the table… There was too much overlap with better players on the Thunder… Caruso being the ultimate glue guy guard fits perfectly… They’re just missing a Steven Adams type centre for when Chet needs to play the 4…
Bulls are headed for a rebuild, I don’t see this move helping them win games alone…
Like the Bulls process…just not the result. How do you go from asking for multiple firsts for Caruso to moving him for Giddey straight up? Yes, he still has potential, but people put way too much value in that. Fact is, if you were trading Giddey for a FRP in a normal draft, I don’t think you could get a top-16 pick at this point.
That being said, they sorely needed a lead guard and this seems to signal they are finally, FINALLY, embracing a rebuild. Whether they tear the whole thing down or just most of it (I think DeMar stays while LaVine and Vuc will be moved) remains to be seen.
Giddey wasn’t playing tough enough especially for his size. If he was rebounding and defending I don’t think he gets moved. His shot wasn’t terrible, but OKC rather have SGA and Jalen handle. Giddey wasn’t going to come off the bench because Wallace can do that
I think they are looking at Caruso like their Derrick White.
Good pickup for OKC. A 3&D guard is a much better fit next to SGA than Giddey.
Presti must be a wizard or warlock.
Could be that first sign that da BULLS will finally embrace a rebuild.
If it is, it’s a good one for the BULLS, a great one for OKC, moreso they didn’t give out any picks, not even 2nd round ones.
Why giddey…?? Why carrusow…?? Why…??? G0dd d4mnnn u akme…
The Thunder needs a playmaker. Caruno provides the extra balance that may put the Thunder in a winner position plus returning home allows him to have a relaxed atmosphere. He was not stable in the Chi but played ball every day.