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Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN
The Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The trade gives the Thunder one of the league's most coveted role players, a 30-year-old guard who general manager Sam Presti has long sought in his bid to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this postseason. Caruso's addition could be viewed as a continuation of the Golden State Warriors' acquisition of Andre Iguodala in 2013; Iguodala was also 30 at the time of that trade.
The Bulls are determined to find a playmaker to replace Lonzo Ball, and while the 21-year-old Guidi has All-Star potential, that's unlikely to happen with the Thunder because of the star power of the playmakers surrounding him. Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP runner-up last season, and the franchise is expected to want to give 7-foot-tall Chet Holmgren more playmaking duties.
Guidi was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and has developed into one of the league's most creative young playmakers. The Bulls will give him the opportunity to get the ball in his hands and have more freedom to pass and score. They needed an offensive engine and they got that engine by acquiring Guidi.
Guidi played a career-high 80 games for the Thunder last season but was benched during the Western Conference playoffs. As his role changed with the Thunder, his scoring average dropped from 16.6 points last season to 12.3 points this season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Guidi has 11 triple-doubles, fourth-most among players 21 or younger behind Luka Doncic, Magic Johnson and Ben Simmons.
Caruso shot 41 percent from 3-point range last season, was fourth in the NBA in steals and was second to new Thunder teammate Luguentz Dort in half-court defense against 2024 NBA All-Stars, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
With Caruso's addition, the Thunder will have three of the best on-ball defenders among guards in the league: Caruso, Dort and Cason Wallace.
Caruso will be eligible for a four-year, $80 million extension six months from the date of the trade. He is entering the final year of his contract. The Thunder made the deal because they wanted to keep Caruso as a valued member of the team long-term, a source said.
Guidi is eligible to negotiate a rookie-scale extension as a member of the 2021 draft class.
