Potential Suns Target Traded to Thunder

The Phoenix Suns missed on the Alex Caruso sweepstakes after the Chicago Bulls traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have been rumored to be in the market for a point guard this summer, and now one potential name is off the board.

The Chicago Bulls are trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, according to reports.

BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/V3t12MA3Uo

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2024

In terms of potential point guards, Caruso was near the top of the list thanks to checking many boxes. He's a perfect player to run a star-studded offense, wouldn't command many touches and is excellent defensively.

Now, he joins a Thunder squad that looks to repeat as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

New Suns coach Mike Budenholzer offered this at his introductory press conference when asked about the point guard position:

“The conversations have been great and there’s no doubt we have to look at the whole roster and talk about point guard,” Budenholzer told reporters.

“I’m sure it’s a hot button here, whether it’s with you guys, the media, the players, front office. We need to think about it. We need to be able to play without one. We probably need to have one.

“We need to be versatile. We need to play different ways: bigger, smaller. I think the point guard position has a place.”

It would have been tough for Phoenix to trade for Caruso thanks to their positioning in the second apron of the luxury tax, which prevents them from aggregating salaries among other roadblocks.

The Suns could now turn their attention to the 2024 NBA Draft next week, where they've been connected heavily to Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek.

Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro said acquiring a point guard was one of the team's top priorities heading into the summer - you can read more about that here.