OKC Thunder: Sam Presti Reveals Josh Giddey Didn't Envision Himself in New Role

The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso as Sam Presti reveals the former No. 6 overall pick requested a trade.

Nov 18, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) reacts after a foul is called in favor of the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a one-for-one swap on Thursday that shook up their roster. Shipping off former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for defensive ace and NBA Champion Alex Caruso.

This was a move that OKC poured over trying to figure out a way to maximize their former lottery pick - in a statement from top executive Sam Presti, he revealed that after meeting with Giddey, the two sides could not work out a plan that worked for each party.

That led Giddey to requesting a trade - or making it clear that the role the Thunder have designated for him next season would not be good enough.

"When we drafted Josh in 2021 he was an essential aspect of our vision for the next iteration of the Thunder. Since then, our team has evolved rapidly and dynamically in ways we could never have anticipated. Therefore, as we began our internal discussions this off-season, it was determined that bringing Josh off the bench next season was our best option to maximize his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes," Presti explained

"As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard to for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere. As always was the case, Josh demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the discussions. Josh has All-Star potential, but accessing that in the current construct of the Thunder would not be optimal for the collective. Based on these discussions we decided to move forward and prioritize what was best for the organization," Presti added.

In a contract year, it is no surprise that Giddey wouldn't want to come off the bench - even without a stint with the starters the 21-year-old would not have a path to playing in a role suited for him given how often Mark Daigneault staggers ball dominate scorers Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

With one of those scorers always on the floor, there are little playmaking reps for Giddey to go around. Oklahoma City was able to upgrade this awkward fit for one of the best defenders in the NBA signaling the team is ready for serious contention.

"Alex Caruso is a player we have always highly valued and followed. He is the quintessential Thunder player; he is an exceptional competitor and teammate with a multi-dimensional skillset. His presence and game will help elevate the core of our team as we continue to strive to build a sustainably elite program in Oklahoma City. Alex is a player that began his professional career with the Thunder/Blue and the opportunity to add him was something we felt would truly enhance our team and culture. We could not be more excited to see Alex in Thunder Blue (again)," Presti said.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.