A handful of Chicago Bulls fans were not satisfied with what their team got back for Alex Caruso. More specifically, many were unhappy about what the team didn’t get back: draft picks.
Reports emerged Thursday that the Bulls agreed to trade Caruso straight up for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey.
Several fans complained about the Bulls being unable to pry a single draft pick from the Thunder GM Sam Presti, who has the deepest pockets in the league when it comes to draft capital.
Thunder have like 30 first round picks in the next 10 years and we couldn’t get one
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) June 20, 2024
trading Caruso at peak value for a guy who's at his lowest value and getting no picks back is truly remarkable work by Chicago
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) June 20, 2024
Bulls fans pointing to OKC’s 10 million picks pic.twitter.com/18Doh4G7sU
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 20, 2024
The Thunder have approximately 1 bazillion draft picks and somehow the Bulls got none of them in return for Alex Caruso?
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) June 20, 2024
Caruso is coming off a career year on one of the best contracts in the NBA.
Giddey is coming off his worst year and is up for a rookie scale extension.
How the hell do you not get a draft pick? You had ALL the leverage.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 20, 2024
Giddey was once a highly valued trade asset. But the 21-year-old Australian saw his stock drop significantly after he became borderline unplayable during the Thunder’s latest postseason run.
Opposing defenses completely sagged off Giddey and dared him to shoot, which messed up the Thunder’s spacing. Giddey played in just 12.6 minutes per game during OKC’s second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks after averaging 25.1 minutes during the regular season.
On the other hand, Caruso turned into a deadeye 40.8% shooter from deep on nearly five attempts per game last season.
Caruso adds elite perimeter defense and championship experience to a Thunder squad hungry to get deeper into the playoffs next season. With Caruso joining a guard rotation with Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder now arguably have the best defensive backcourt rotation in the NBA.
All Bulls fans wanted in return was one Thunder draft pick for making it happen.
