(Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
After the Los Angeles Lakers set the social media world ablaze with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the team had hired JJ Redick to be their new head coach, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a blockbuster trade almost immediately after and somewhat stole the spotlight.
Although the Chicago Bulls have been the subject of trade rumors for years, with seemingly every notable player on the team being mentioned once or more over the past few seasons, no substantial deals have come to fruition until now, with the team sending defensive-minded guard Alex Caruso to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey.
Despite making a name for himself the first two years with the Thunder during the 2022-23 campaign, as the Australian import was better than expected, Giddey regressed during this past season while the rest of the squad flourished.
With Giddey becoming expendable and Oklahoma City wanting to close the gap with the tough competition in the Western Conference, the team talked to him about the plan moving forward, and it didn’t align with what he wanted to do, so he was open to a trade, according to Thunder general manager Sam Presti via NBA Central.
“As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere,” Presti said.
OKC intended to have Josh Giddey come off the bench next season, but Giddey was not in favor of this role and preferred to be traded.
“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… pic.twitter.com/zNGBsNwuti
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 21, 2024
This is another brilliant move by Presti, who is arguably the best general manager in the league right now, building this team from scratch following the end of the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook era and dealing Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Caruso adds defense and shooting to a team that needs it, and this Thunder squad should be much better next season.
The post Details Emerge About Why Josh Giddey Was Traded appeared first on The Cold Wire.