Sam Presti shared his thoughts after trading Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls.
He explained that Giddey didn’t see eye-to-eye with the team’s plans for him next season, leading to the trade.
OKC’s Sam Presti on trading Josh Giddey to Bulls: Coming off the bench was “…hard for him to envision” and “conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere …”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn)
Giddey’s early career looked promising. He averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game in his first season. He also won Rookie of the Month four times and made second-team All-Rookie.
In his second year, he improved with averages of 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, finishing seventh in the league with four triple-doubles .
Performance Decline:
However, last season was different. Playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren for the first time, Giddey’s performance dipped despite OKC topping the Western Conference at 57-25 and reaching round two of playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Fans might think this move is a bit surprising given how well he started.
His stats dropped to career lows: 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and just 4.8 assists per game over a career-high of 80 games played. In playoffs, he averaged only 8.7 points while coming off the bench twice – a first in his NBA career.
Presti decided it was time for change by bringing in Alex Caruso from Chicago Bulls .
Caruso’s Impact:
Caruso adds much-needed championship experience along with strong defense skills; he was named first-team All-Defense (2022-23) and second team (2023-24), plus won NBA Hustle Award last season too!
What do you think about this trade?
