While most fans and observers agree that the Chicago Bulls got the short end of the stick in their swap of Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey with the Oklahoma City Thunder, one prominent NBA analyst says Chicago will be better off after the deal.
In a rare one-for-one trade the Bulls sent fan favorite Caruso to OKC for the 21-year-old Australian playmaker. In his third season, Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game, all career lows.
“I thought Chicago won the trade,” Simmons said on his podcast. “To me, this was like one of the all-time buying low NBA trades of this century.”
“I just think people forgot that he’s actually good, and he was in a weird situation on a team that didn’t really need him. And now, he's going to a team that's not that good, but that's gonna be like, 'Yo, Josh Giddey, you're good, and here's the ball.' I think he is an asset.”
While the Thunder earned the top seed in the Western Conference, Giddey dealt with allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor that dogged him throughout the year. The case was ultimately dropped, but the damage to his reputation was severe.
However, Giddey is 10 years younger than Caruso, cheaper, and three inches taller. His versatility at the guard position, Giddey has 11 career triple-doubles, also makes him an intriguing fit with Bulls stars Coby White, Zach Lavine, and Nikola Vucevic.
Though not as talented as a defender or as prolific from beyond the three-point line, Giddey also provides a reasonable facsimile of Lonzo Ball in case he’s unable to return after missing the last two seasons recovering from knee surgery.
“He's a small forward but also a point guard, he's tall, he rebounds, he just fills the boxscore, fun to play with, the ball moves with him,” Simmons said.
Giddey has potential, that isn’t the question. The question for the Bulls is whether or not they can harness that potential quickly as Giddey is in the final year of his rookie deal.
Is Chicago going to make a long-term investment in Josh Giddey, or will he become a piece leveraged for another move down the road?
It seems that for Bill Simmons the answer is pretty clear.
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