The NBA trade market is officially open.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Chicago Bulls have traded guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey.
Wojnarowski added that the Thunder acquired Caruso with the hopes of signing him to a contract extension.
According to NBA source Marc Stein, the trade did not include any draft compensation and was “just a swap.”
The 6'4″ guard just completed his seventh NBA season after four with the Los Angeles Lakers and three with the Bulls. He averaged 10.1 points, 46.8% shooting (40.8% from 3-point range), 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals.
Chicago bolstered its roster ahead of the 2021-22 season by adding DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic to a team that already had Zach LaVine, and a player like Caruso, who signed a four-year, $37 million contract through the 2024-25 season, rounded out the roster.
Unfortunately, injuries and disappointing play prevented the Bulls from living up to expectations.
Ball has played just 35 games in a Bulls uniform (none the past two seasons) as he works his way back from a lingering left knee injury resulting from a bone bruise and torn left meniscus suffered in January 2022. LaVine also suffered a left knee injury during the 2021-22 season and underwent surgery in the offseason.
DeRozan, LaVine, Vucevic and Caruso were all available for most of the 2022-23 season, but the Bulls didn't take advantage. They were fifth in defensive efficiency but 24th in offensive efficiency, according to Basketball Reference.
Chicago finished the season with a 40-42 record and lost in the play-in tournament to the Miami Heat. The Bulls rested some of their key players in hopes of improving, but that didn't happen, and the team was eliminated in the play-in tournament again following a 39-43 season.
There have been rumors circulating throughout the season regarding several key players.
As for Caruso, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on Jan. 24 that the team would need “multiple first-round picks” for Caruso to consider a move. Apparently the price has since changed.
Guidi, 21, is expected to average 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 33.7% from the 3-point line in 2023-24. His points, rebounds and assists are all down from 2022-23, and the Thunder clearly felt his potential was limited with the current roster.
Caruso gives the team a solid two-way role player and allows the Bulls to rebuild around young talent, and with Zach LaVine also reportedly a trade target, it looks like the Bulls will be looking to rebuild this summer.
