Highlights
- Josh Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls due to not fitting the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new style.
- Chicago acquired Giddey with hopes of unlocking his All-Star potential.
- Giddey aims to be the lead playmaker for the Bulls & simplify the game for his teammates.
The first trade of the 2024 NBA offseason went down on Thursday involving the Oklahoma City Thunder sending Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso.
On Tuesday afternoon, Giddey spoke with the media for the first time as a member of the Bulls in his introductory press conference and gave more insight on his exit from Oklahoma City.
It was speculated that eventually, Giddey would be the odd man out of the Thunder’s young core due to his lack of shooting and defensive prowess, which played him off the court during Oklahoma City’s postseason run. Giddey shared the details with the media of what led to the eventual trade request and deal with the Bulls.
“Coming off the bench, running the second unit, things like that. I just said to [Sam Presti], at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something I was overly eager to do, and he completely understood.”
Giddey’s skill set didn’t match the way the Thunder wanted to play anymore due to the talent that was blossoming in the team. Jalen Williams emerged as the secondary ball handler next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, cutting some of the touches that Giddey received in his first two seasons in the NBA. His trade to the Bulls will give him a fresh start and a new opportunity as the lead guard for a franchise.
Giddey Will Be the Point Guard of the Future for the Bulls
A former top-10 overall pick gets a fresh start in the Windy City
The Bulls didn’t make this trade with the expectation of limiting Giddey’s ceiling by restricting him to a role that he can’t thrive in, such as he was during the 2023-24 season with the Thunder. Although the Bulls have a plethora of guards on the team currently, this trade is the first domino of many that suggest what is to come for the rest of Chicago’s roster.
Chicago bought low on a player who was considered one of the best young players just a season ago. In ESPN’s annual top 25 players under 25 years old list, Giddey was ranked 18th. That was higher than Alperen Sengun, Tyler Herro, and Jalen Green. The Bulls acquired Giddey with the hopes of capitalizing on the All-Star potential that he showcased in his first two seasons.
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Josh Giddey 2022-23 Season Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Category |
Stats |
|
PTS |
16.6 |
|
REB |
7.9 |
|
AST |
4.8 |
|
STL |
0.8 |
|
FG% |
48.2 |
Giddey is fully aware of what he thrives at as a playmaker and shared with the media what he strives to accomplish with his new opportunity with the Bulls.
“I want to come in and make sure guys are getting easy looks, guys feel comfortable on the floor. As a point guard, when you can get other people around you going and making them involved in the game, getting them feeling good early, it opens the game up for everybody. So that’s kind of how I see myself – just making basketball and the game simple for everybody else and making it easy for my teammates around me.”
There are still plenty of things the Bulls need to figure out, such as what’s going to happen with Zach Lavine, Demar DeRozan’s contract situation, and the status of Lonzo Ball. However, a new era of Chicago basketball is on the horizon and Giddey is slotted to be at the forefront of it.
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