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Bulls, Thunder finalize deal sending Josh Giddey to Chicago, Alex Caruso to OKC

Josh Giddey, a 6-foot-8, 21-year-old point guard from Australia, gets a fresh start after a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs

Bulls, Thunder finalize deal sending Josh Giddey to Chicago, Alex Caruso to OKC

Josh Giddey, a 6-foot-8, 21-year-old point guard from Australia, gets a fresh start after a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs

IT’S FAIR TO SAY THIS WAS A HUGE MOVE THIS AFTERNOON BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. YES, JOSH GIDDEY HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE CHICAGO BULLS FOR ALEX CARUSO. AND I THINK A CLEAR SIGNAL THAT THEY ARE ALL IN. THEY WANT TO TRY TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. AND I THINK THAT STARTS RIGHT NOW. AND SO THIS RIGHT HERE IS ACTUALLY A STRAIGHT UP TRADE. ONE GUY FOR ONE GUY WITHOUT ANY OF THE DRAFT PICKS THROWN INTO THE MIX FOR OKC. AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT ALEX CARUSO SO I’LL TELL YOU THIS. HE IS A REALLY GOOD PLAYER. HE’S A MUCH BETTER ATHLETE THAN YOU THINK. HE PROBABLY IS. AND HE IS AN EXCELLENT THREE POINT SHOOTER. HE SHOT 40% FROM THREE LAST SEASON AND YOU KNOW WHAT. HE’S ONE OF THE BEST DEFENDERS IN THE NBA. AND NOW ALEX CARUSO IS A MEMBER OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER IS A HUGE MOVE BY OKC. AND JOSH GIDDEY IS GONE TO THE WINDY CITY. WITH THE SIXTH PICK IN THE 2021 NBA DRAFT, FROM THE MOMENT JOSH GIDDEY WAS DRAFTED, HE SEEMED LIKE A PERFECT FIT FOR OKC. A BIG SIX, EIGHT POINT GUARD, GIDDEY AND ALL KINDS OF CONGESTION. AND HE’S AN ELITE PASSER. SLINGS IT UNDERNEATH. WHAT A PASS. SO WE COULD HELP RUN THE SHOW FOR OKLAHOMA CITY NEXT TO THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE. AND THEIR MVP CANDIDATE SHEA GILGEOUS ALEXANDER. YOU KNOW I’M REALLY EXCITED. HE’S OBVIOUSLY AN ALL STAR LEVEL TALENT. UM, YOUNG GUY AS WELL. BRIGHT FUTURE IN THE LEAGUE. OH NICE JOB. BUT THE PERFECT FIT NEVER MATERIALIZE. AND THEN BECAUSE OF THE EMERGENCE OF JALEN WILLIAMS AND CHAD HOLMGREN, JOSH GIDDEY WENT FROM THE SECOND BEST PLAYER ON THE TEAM TO THE THIRD AND TO THE FOURTH BEST PLAYER. AND HE BECAME THE ODD MAN OUT AND BECAME EXPENDABLE. ALL ABOUT THAT. AND EVEN THOUGH THIS IS WHAT GIDDEY SAID AT THE END OF THE SEASON, YEAH, I LOVE IT HERE. THIS IS THIS IS, YOU KNOW, HOME AWAY FROM HOME. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE, THE CITY, THE FANS. GOOD PASS, GOOD FINISH. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT, AT LEAST FROM THE THUNDER’S PERSPECTIVE, THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MOVE THEY COULD MAKE. THIS OFF SEASON. YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE WAS DARK DAYS, MAYBE THINGS WEREN’T GOING GREAT. UM, GETTING TO COME HERE EVERY DAY AND SEE MY TEAMMATES, YOU KNOW, MADE EVERYTHING BETTER. IT’S GIVING. JOSH GIDDEY HAD SOME BIG MOMENTS IN OKC, ESPECIALLY AS A ROOKIE. GIDDEY SETS HIM UP, BECOMING THE YOUNGEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY TO RECORD A TRIPLE DOUBLE, RACKING UP 11 TRIPLE DOUBLES IN THREE YEARS WITH THE THUNDER. AND A GUY THAT EVEN AFTER THIS SEASON, SAM PRESTI SEEMED TO POINT, MIGHT BE A FIXTURE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, THE THING ABOUT GIDDEY THAT I REALLY RESPECT IS HE IS TOUGH AND HE IS CLUTCH, BUT HE IS TOUGH AND HE IS CLUTCH. BUT WE ALL STARTED TO SEE THIS COMING IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH JOSH GIDDEY HAD STARTED EVERY GAME IN HIS CAREER FOR OKC UNTIL THE FINAL TWO, WHEN HE CAME OFF THE BENCH AGAINST THE DALLAS MAVERICKS. HE HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, BEEN ASKED TO CHANGE SOME THINGS AND ADJUST TO DIFFERENT THINGS. AND HE HASN’T FLINCHED. ONE TIME I TOOK IT ON THE CHIN AND KEPT MOVING FORWARD AND, UM, TRIED TO BE THE BEST TEAMMATE I COULD BE. UM, FROM THE ROLE I WAS PLAYING ON THE BENCH, GIDDEY SETS UP DORT AND JOSH GIDDEY IS EXPECTED TO BE A STARTER AGAIN, ONLY NOW HE’LL BE ON THE FLOOR FOR THE BULLS INSTEAD OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. THE BIG MOVE TODAY BY OKC. WE’LL GET INTO THE ALEX CARUSO PART OF TH
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Bulls, Thunder finalize deal sending Josh Giddey to Chicago, Alex Caruso to OKC

Josh Giddey, a 6-foot-8, 21-year-old point guard from Australia, gets a fresh start after a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs

The Bulls and Thunder finalized a trade sending Josh Giddey to Chicago and Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City on Friday.Giddey, a 6-foot-8, 21-year-old point guard from Australia, gets a fresh start after a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs. He was frequently booed on the road after he was investigated following accusations by an anonymous social media user that he had an improper relationship with an underage girl.The NBA and the Newport Beach, California, Police Department investigated Giddey during the season. Newport Beach police completed their investigation in January and said detectives were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity.” The NBA also later dropped its investigation.Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists and shot 47.5% in 2023-24. Those averages were down from 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists the previous season.Giddey’s play improved the second half of the season after the Thunder traded for Gordon Hayward. He averaged 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 57.2% from the field in April regular-season games. In the playoffs, his playing time was limited as he came off the bench for the first time in his career.Giddey was the No. 6 overall pick in 2021 and he made the All-Rookie second team. He is a member of Australia’s national team that will play at the Paris Olympics this summer. He is an exceptional passer and his size makes him a solid rebounder.The 30-year-old Caruso, who plays point guard and shooting guard, has established himself as a defensive presence in four years with the Los Angeles Lakers and then three years with the Bulls. He has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He averaged a career-high 10.1 points this past season. He was on the all-defense first team in 2023 and the second team in 2024.The Thunder also have Cason Wallace, a second-team All-Rookie selection this past season, at point guard.Top Headlines 1 dead after multi-vehicle crash in southwest Oklahoma City Edmond man heading home after sentencing for Turks and Caicos ammunition charge FAA investigating after Southwest Airlines plane flew so low to the ground it woke up Yukon residents OHP: 6-year-old girl killed in Thursday wreck Support group provides safe space for older members of LGBTQ community

The Bulls and Thunder finalized a trade sending Josh Giddey to Chicago and Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City on Friday.

Giddey, a 6-foot-8, 21-year-old point guard from Australia, gets a fresh start after a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs. He was frequently booed on the road after he was investigated following accusations by an anonymous social media user that he had an improper relationship with an underage girl.

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The NBA and the Newport Beach, California, Police Department investigated Giddey during the season. Newport Beach police completed their investigation in January and said detectives were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity.” The NBA also later dropped its investigation.

Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists and shot 47.5% in 2023-24. Those averages were down from 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists the previous season.

Giddey’s play improved the second half of the season after the Thunder traded for Gordon Hayward. He averaged 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 57.2% from the field in April regular-season games. In the playoffs, his playing time was limited as he came off the bench for the first time in his career.

Giddey was the No. 6 overall pick in 2021 and he made the All-Rookie second team. He is a member of Australia’s national team that will play at the Paris Olympics this summer. He is an exceptional passer and his size makes him a solid rebounder.

The 30-year-old Caruso, who plays point guard and shooting guard, has established himself as a defensive presence in four years with the Los Angeles Lakers and then three years with the Bulls. He has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He averaged a career-high 10.1 points this past season. He was on the all-defense first team in 2023 and the second team in 2024.

The Thunder also have Cason Wallace, a second-team All-Rookie selection this past season, at point guard.


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