Why did the Thunder trade Josh Giddey? Australian point guard headed for increased role with Chicago Bulls | Sporting News Australia

The basketball world was shocked Friday, when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded young guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. 

Giddey, 21, was shipped out of the 2023/24 top seed in the West in favour of Alex Caruso, a two-time All Defensive team selection who signed to the Bulls in 2021. 

While there was speculation for some time that Giddey would be making his way out of Oklahoma, the trade sent ripples through the NBA community due to the magnitude of the deal. 

But why did the Thunder move on from the Australian guard?

Giddey objected to bench role

Josh Giddey was the starting point guard for the majority of the Thunder’s season, but coach Mark Daigneault made a brave but necessary move during the post-season to instead bring the Australian off the bench, marking the first time he did not start a game in the NBA. 

While the move did not lead to a series victory, it was clear from a spacing perspective that it greatly benefited the team, owing to teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s on-ball creation rendering Giddey’s role off-ball, where he did not thrive as much as in previous seasons. 

According to a statement from Thunder GM Sam Presti, the team approached Giddey about continuing this six-man capcity for the team, but apparent resistance to this approach led to the Australian being moved. 

“When we drafted Josh in 2021 he was an essential aspect of our vision for the next iteration of the Thunder,” Presti’s statement read.

“Since then, our team has evolved rapidly and dynamically in ways we could never have anticipated. Therefore, as we began our internal discussions this off-season, it was determined that bringing Josh off the bench next season was our best option to maximise his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes.

As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard to for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere.

“As always was the case, Josh demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the discussions.”

With the Bulls, Giddey should expect an increased on-ball load, as he starts in the back-court alongside 2023/24 Most Improved Player finalist Coby White, perhaps filling the void left by the long-injured Lonzo Ball. 

Caruso addresses OKC’s spacing and defensive needs

Unfortunately for Giddey, the two areas that the Thunder needed the most help in were aspects of his game that he struggles with, being his defence and shooting from distance.  

Luckily for Oklahoma, they found a willing trade partner in Chicago with a perfect player to fix both those issues – Alex Caruso.

Caruso was named to his second-straight All Defensive team this season, and he has become renowned as a tough-as-nails defender, regularly causing havoc for opposing stars. 

He is also a reliable three-point option, shooting 40.8% from behind the arc on nearly five attempts per game for the Bulls last season. 

All in all, he is a near-perfect answer to the questions that plagued the Thunder last season, and his addition to a team that already finished first in the West with a 57-win season. 

Josh Giddey NBA contract

Giddey’s maiden season in Chicago will happen during the fourth and final year of his four-year, US$27,214,807 deal.

He will be paid US$8,352,367 for this season, before he enters Restricted Free Agency, which means any team can offer the player a contract, but the Bulls have the ability to match this and retain him. 

Giddey stats without SGA

Across his career, Josh Giddey has posted impressively well-rounded numbers, averaging 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. 

However, in 32 games that the Australian has played without MVP-candidate teammate Gilegous-Alexander, these numbers jump considerably, to 16.9 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. 

This should be a promising sign for Bulls fans, with Giddey all but assured a more prominent role in Chicago’s offence as they search for a full-time floor general, and seem to be in the early stages of a full rebuild. 

Giddey 2023-24 stats

Despite his team’s increased success during the previous season, Giddey’s own numbers were reduced from his career averages, as he struggled to carve out his role in a changing offence.