Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Breaks Silence on Josh Giddey Trade
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls recently agreed on a one-for-one player trade that swapped Alex Caruso and Josh Giddey. This deal came as a surprise to many, since Chicago could have seemingly gotten a better return for Caruso, but the Bulls are high on Giddey's potential.
Moved to the bench during the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Giddey struggled in the playoffs, and was seemingly no longer a good fit in OKC's starting lineup. That said, Giddey seemed to be well-liked by his teammates, and several of them have already shared their reactions to the deal.
One Thunder player who recently reacted to the news is star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who shared a comment on Giddey's Instagram post:
SGA & Jalen Williams on Giddey’s goodbye post pic.twitter.com/7sVyZaXtif
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 21, 2024
This move projects to strengthen a Thunder team that finished first in the Western Conference last season. While Giddey may have untapped potential that shows itself in Chicago, he was an imperfect fit with OKC, and the swap for Caruso makes a lot of sense for them.
Unable to play on the ball much in OKC's offense, Giddey was often left unguarded by opposing defenses that dared him to shoot. Just a 31.0% career shooter from beyond the arc, this element of Giddey's game is one of his weaknesses that teams were able to exploit within OKC's offense.
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JOEY LINN
Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.