Surprising Reason For OKC Thunder Trading Josh Giddey Disclosed

Sam Presti spoke about the recent trade.

Jan 5, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) drives to the basket in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Giddey is coming off another productive year for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He finished the regular season with averages of 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest while shooting 47.5% from the field and 33.7% from the three-point range in 80 games.

On Thursday, Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls (for Alex Caruso).

Welcome to Chicago, @JoshGiddey 🤝

Read ➡️ https://t.co/CzinxLVVrv pic.twitter.com/lg182Wyqxa

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 21, 2024

Following the news, Sam Presti released a statement and revealed the reasoning for moving on from Giddey.

Via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski: "OKC’s Sam Presti on trading Josh Giddey to Bulls: Coming off the bench was “…hard for him to envision” and “conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere …”"

OKC’s Sam Presti on trading Josh Giddey to Bulls: Coming off the bench was “…hard for him to envision” and “conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere …” pic.twitter.com/fHu5jYT3GZ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2024

Giddey is an intriguing addition to Chicago because of his youth and ability to be the team's point guard of the future.

He was initially the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and spent the first three years of his career with the Thunder.

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) warms up before game six against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Caruso is a talented role player, but he makes more sense for a contender such as Oklahoma City.

He is coming off a year where he averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 46.8% from the field and 40.8% from the three-point range in 71 games.

Apr 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) passes the basketball as Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) defends in the first quarter during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder were the first seed in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record.

They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Welcome to OKC, @ACFresh21 🫡 https://t.co/T4y9Bht5fB pic.twitter.com/LPFpEeQQlp

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 21, 2024

As for the Bulls, they were the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 39-43 record.

They missed the NBA playoffs for the second straight season.