Alex Caruso Reunited With OKC Thunder Bench Boss Mark Daigneault

The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded for Alex Caruso reuniting him with Mark Daigneault - which Sam Presti calls exciting.

Nov 25, 2022; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) gestures during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Oklahoma City won 123-119 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a surprising swap on Thursday to send former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in favor of defensive ace Alex Caruso. The Texas A&M product returns to the start of his professional career with Caruso being a former training camp and OKC Blue member for the organization.

During Caruso's stint with the G League Blue, he played for current OKC Thunder bench boss Mark Daigneault - the two climbed the G League ranks to successful NBA careers with Daigneault taking home the Coach of the Year honors this season and Caruso being a key member of the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 squad.

Two of the brightest success stories from the NBA's developmental league, now reunited again at the varsity level with Caruso being a tailormade player for Daigneault's system as a versatile defender who can knock down catch-and-shoot looks and play with or without the ball.

This Oklahoma City Thunder roster is poised to be the league's top defense with championship aspirations with this trade which should send exciting shockwaves through Bricktown.

"Mark and I talk about everything. So I include him on just about everything that could actually be
-- I don't like to bring things to him that I think are like potential options, but we're always talking. We talk all the time about the team, about things that we value, things that we feel like are on our plate and we have to consider and think about," Presti said on Friday when asked how much input Daigneault had in this trade.

The Thunder bench boss was involved in this decision - while Presti doesn't bother the coach of the year with every rumor, Oklahoma City checked in with the head man before pulling the trigger on bringing back a former player.

"So with this particular case, yeah, of course. I mean, he coached him. I think it's a great thing that those guys have kind of like come full circle in their careers to get to this point, and I think it's a great thing. I also think that he'll be excited about coaching Alex.," Presti continued.

As the Thunder top executive continued to give a peak behind the curtain of Caruso and Daigneault's relationship it became more and more clear how strong it is.

"They have a great relationship. But I think Alex has a lot of really close relationships with people here and that were here, that are no longer here, that are working with other teams. So we're thrilled," the Thunder General Manager said.

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