Thunder trade Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso

The Giddey experiment is over in Oklahoma City, as the Thunder sent the second-highest (and third-youngest) draft pick on the talented roster to Chicago for a more conventional guard fit in Alex Caruso.

In what appears to be a straight up player swap, the Thunder downsized the rotation for the time being. While Giddey was never a plus on defense or interior play, period, he added playmaking and size to their effective all-tall, wing-heavy style of attack. In the regular season. Caruso is a much more known quantity–the prototypical 3&D veteran guard whose reliable shooting OKC's young pieces couldn't deliver in the playoffs–with a shorter window and lower ceiling as a Thunder contributor over the long term. This is a trade of a future asset for a win-now one, for those keeping track of whether Sam Presti's tippy toe is now on the accelerator.

With the draft and a critical free agency period approaching, I wouldn't do more than pencil in what this means for OKC's cap and player-acquisition approach just yet. But it is, for what it's worth, a deal that doesn't necessarily change the Thunder's cap flexibility over the next two summers.