The Chicago Bulls won the Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to one prominent NBA analyst.
The Bulls made the deal for Giddey on June 20, and many debates immediately sprung up in the NBA media regarding the trade, mostly concerning how Chicago failed to pry any draft picks away from Oklahoma City in exchange for Caruso.
Not everyone viewed the trade as a missed opportunity for the Bulls, however.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons revealed during a podcast episode on Monday that he feels Chicago won the Giddey-Caruso trade.
Simmons acknowledged that Chicago failed to acquire any draft capital from Oklahoma City before declaring that the Bulls won the deal.
“The consensus seemed to be … how did OKC get this done without throwing in anything else? Why didn’t they throw in picks?” Simmons said. “This isn’t even a hot take … it feels like a zag. I’m not even sure it feels like a hot zag. I thought Chicago won the trade. I like Giddey … he’s 21 years old.”
Simmons pointed out that Giddey’s production at such a young age places him in rarefied air, historically speaking. According to Simmons, the only players aged 20 and under besides Giddey to have averaged 15 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds per game (minimum 60 games played) in a season are Luka Dončić (twice), LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and LaMelo Ball.
Giddey, 21, completely changes the dynamic of the Bulls’ backcourt heading into the 2024-25 season. Recent reports have even suggested that the addition of Giddey has Chicago wondering whether they should take Zach LaVine off the trade block.
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