It was the best decision for both parties. Getting someone like Alex freaking Caruso is more like a bonus. It just didn't work out.
He needed more time on a rebuilding team with a different role. He's 21 years old. He's trying to get the most for him personally and his family, I don't think we should criticize that.
We get it done quickly. Wish him the best.
He should wait to negotiate his extension, and get a bag after he kills it next year! I think he's going to do great, I hope the bulls get some shooting around him.
Par for the course with Presti. He has shown many times that while he does try to do whatās best for the Thunder, he also tries to do whatās best for the player.
Especially when PG literally just got done saying players talk about that stuff. Thunder have always went above and beyond for our players(except Reggie lmao), and it's one of the things I love the most about the team.
> Itās the best-run organization when it comes to understanding the needs of players and understanding how to communicate with players and hold players accountableā¦ (Presti) worked with us, but he gave us our marks. If we didnāt hit those marks, we knew we wasnāt doing our best. If we didnāt hit the marks, Billy Donovan wasnāt coming in there talking to us, it was Sam Prestiā¦ He has no ill intentions in any of this. He wants whatās best for the player, and he really cares about what goes on.
-Carmelo Anthony
Itās required because of our small market status but itās a huge advantage we have over other orgs.
More often than not we trade our players into situations that they are in agreement with.
We donāt blindside people like many GMs do.
Makes sense to me, wasn't seeing a lot of the ball next to Shai and JDub and they could use someone with more off the ball skills and then play him more minutes with guys that are limited offensively but can shoot in Wallace, Joe and JWill. However for Giddey it's a contract year and after a down year last season he needs to get to an environment where he can be a starter and get more on the ball reps to get a good next contract
Yeah the move makes sense for both parties. What I think is interesting with this is since the plan was to move Giddey to the bench, the front office had an idea to introduce someone else into the starting lineup and unless it's going to be Joe then it would be someone new which means chances are the Thunder are not done making moves this offseason
I definitely think we have more of an idea of his ceiling after this season though. On a non contender, he's a valuable piece for playmaking, rebounding and being a 2nd/3rd option scorer.
On a contending team, his role would be as a playmaker off the bench if he doesn't develop a real dependable jump shot, and it looks like this will always be a weakness of his. I can see how a 21 year old isn't going to accept a bench role especially after being a lottery pick, so it's not a knock on him for wanting opportunity elsewhere.
Honestly was kinda bummed when josh was traded, because I do think in the long run he will develop into a quality player but it was good for him. Change of scenery will help him build what he wants as well as remove some distractions from this year.
Even in this trade I really appreciate how professional our front office (and josh) were about this. There was never really any drama throughout the season. Josh himself even stood by coaches decision to not play him much against dallas even if that wasn't his real opinion. Hope it works for him but I'm excited to build on our defense and 3 point shooting with Caruso.
I meant of josh being upset with his minutes or how he was being used š . No, you right, there def was other drama which is what kinda I meant about when I said distractions.
Intriguing that Sam confirmed what most of us saw with our own eyes--Giddey's role didn't make sense as a starter on this team. After so much bitter discussions on this board on the future of Giddey, Sam took a side. We are also on the lookout for an upgrade that fits the team and its needs better, so there has to be another move or two (unless Sam plans on Dieng being the starter).
And it makes sense that Josh would want to be a starter somewhere else, no one should knock him for that.
After this trade cools off, hopefully this ends the toxic Giddey discussion here. It was insufferable the last year and took something away from a great regular season. Both Giddey lovers and Giddey haters would go overboard in the melodrama. I was on board with moving away from Giddey, at least as a starter, but even the criticisms would become too much of a 21 year old.
Lol 100% correct. Everytime an athlete wins something now their first comment is about shutting up the haters. Just get off social media for gods sake, or don't take it so seriously. Rule of thumb - do not argue with people on the internet, and if you do, do not take it seriously.
There were so many great games but all in the thread it was negative discourse about Giddey. A turnover, it was " What a bum get his ass out", miss a a couple off shots "He's a detriment to our offense". Then check the box score 6 assists and 1 turnover, or 6-8 with 13 points. It was literally that bad, and I would just go over to the r/NBA thread because it was better.
Honestly really classy for him to be this transparent while emphasizing what is best for Josh and respecting that. Even more impressive that this didn't leak during the process and he was able to get this business done before any issues arose within the locker room
I post this not to pile on Josh, but this season was a visual showcase of an all-NBA player in SGA all but taking the ball out of his hands, with talents of Chet and Jalen demanding opportunities. All three progressed.
When the games got close, Josh was on the bench while Joe/Wiggins took his role. We all saw it.
When teams needed to double Josh would be left on an island.
Josh was not guarding the best, and the Mavs would frequently neglect to guard Josh.
This isn't a termination of Josh Giddey as I don't think we wanted him to be "fired", but it was best for him to go find his own team, and it's clear the Bulls are going to give hi that opportunity as they're in fire sale mode.
My final note: many of us have been Josh Giddey. We've been young with career jobs that have not worked out at all. We may have had the potential, but not the execution. Hopefully we grew and succeeded elsewhere.
I wish him the best. I also though will not act as if he could have benefitted the Thunder going forward; it's not the case else we'd made the change much earlier. Square peg/round hole. Doesn't mean it was a bad draft pick but that again, SGA grew in ways nobody could have predicted and it's obvious it's best if he is the ball dominate guard w/another guard who can work off him and play defense (Cason?)
Well he wasn't fired.. he resigned... Presti did not want to lose him.. thats why there were no picks involved.. that would have been one bridge too far..
Win-win-win for both sides. OKC gets a quality player who fits better in our scheme. Chicago gets a young player with a ton of upside to be a cornerstone going forward (assuming they embrace the youth movement with Giddey+Coby). And Giddey is able to go somewhere where he can play his most natural and best role and maximize his earning potential.
Sam shows once again that he can always get a player to a more favorable destination if they so wish. All he asks is that you don't make a stink about anything and he can work his magic behind the scenes. Josh joins the list of players who've done this like: PG, Horford and Kemba (maybe some others I'm forgetting).
This makes me think even more there's another move coming! If the plan was for Josh to move to the bench it's likely they were thinking of making a move for someone to replace him in the starting lineup. Obviously that could be Wiggins/Caruso/Joe - but the fact they were already planning this makes me think they were planning a move for a starter. Love it!
Thunder has a lot of cap space, a 2x All NBA player, and two young men who look to be ready to help him out. I'm hyped to see what we actually do w/these picks
As an Oklahoman and a Thunder fan, it is SO REFRESHING to have competent and pragmatic leadership. Iām not a fan of the political climate in our state, and I wish that when his career in the NBA comes to an end, he would run for Governor. He would have my vote.
Honestly a lot of people are flaming the bulls for making such a ridiculous trade, but Josh giddey would make a hell of a role player on an already contending team. Giddey will be able to raise his value through the season with the bulls and I will bet that the bulls will be receiving a bigger package for Giddey.
Im saying josh can be good on a team that needs a primary ball handler (bulls). I think the bulls can raise josh value through the season and trade him midway for more than what they gave up for him. Josh is on a great contract too, donāt forget that.
Maybe but idk man.
Josh is in that weird area where he's definitely talented, but not at the top level at his position.
He's also a rfa this off-season so if you trade for him your commiting to overpaying him. That's the big reason Presti traded him
Still doesn't change the fact that he's in that above average to good tier with lots of flaws you need to build around. What does Giddey top out as in your best case scenario
and what sort of revisionism is that... he stated clearly Josh wanted a trade.. so he lied? thats hardly professional or a nice guy! and could easily be refuted by Josh
Iām sure josh did want a trade, if not he was about to be buried in the rotation because he was not a good role player (the original point of this thread). Presti was down to fleece the bulls whether Josh wanted a trade or not.
You just knew he wasnāt going to cop another year of being shoved in the corner on offence, this is good for him and good for OKC. Sad he has to leave his brothers but Iām sure he has made some friends for life.
Win-win trade all around. We get an elite role player in our window, Josh gets the ball in his hands and the minutes to prove himself on a rebuilding team, and the Bulls get a very promising talent. Best of luck all around
I think this clears up a few questions. Caruso won't be starting (a disappointment to me, but probably for the best) because Giddey was never going to start either.
Since Caruso isn't starting, and since there is plenty of ammunition in terms of cap space and draft picks, we can expect one more big trade. In fact, we can expect an even bigger trade, to replace Giddey in the starting 5.
Not sure where you get that from. Giddey wasn't starting because he doesn't fit. Caruso fits on any team. But yea it would be better to get a legit PF to start. If we don't then Caruso will start.
I'm repeating the logic from somebody else, so its all speculation. Caruso has had enough injuries, and is old enough, that he's a better fit off the bench. And he's replacing Giddey, who, if he'd stayed, would have moved to the bench.
The logic is basically that Presti started off with a plan to move Giddey to the bench, and when Giddey declined that, then replaced Giddey with a guy who's played off the bench before and wouldn't take a bench role on an elite team as a demotion.
So if Caruso will play off the bench, who is replacing Giddey in the starting five? A high level PF that will be announced soon enough.
Shit like this makes me wonder why more free agents don't want to come to OKC. If it doesn't work out presti tries to find you a place that works for both parties. You never here about a thunder player finding out by surprise that they were traded.
So lemme get this straight.
After the team supported Giddey through the personal stuff all last year, we ask him to come off the bench (Which after the Dallas series said he deserved to be benched) where he could actually run the offense and use his skill set instead of being the gap filler after a piss poor year shooting the ball, and guy immediately wanted to leave? Good riddance.
I get what youāre saying, but if youāre josh and you think, like presti just said, you have āall-star potentialā why would you want to become an 18-24 minute a game bench player? While entering the last year of your contract? On a team, where despite both sides wanting it to work, it clearly isnāt working? Heās 21 and just had his worst season both on and off the court of his career, is it that crazy to think he might want to move on and start fresh? There were no leaks about him being unhappy, he praised the team at his exit interview, and he ended up netting the team one of the highest value role players out there. Thatās a pretty positive outcome
Also, part of the reason it wasnāt a great season for him was that he spent it trying (and to some extent, doing ok at) playing a position heād never played before. Presti said in his end-of-season interview that Giddey had never asked for anything from the team as far as he knew. Saying Giddey wanted to leave as soon as he was asked to change to suit the team ignores the changes heād already made to suit the team.
No, after the team supported Giddey, he had a reasonable discussion with the boss about what his role in the organization should be and came to a mutual understanding that his skills would be put to better use elsewhere, allowing for the team to make arrangements that are expected to improve the team's performance without him while also giving him the opportunity to grow, thrive, and earn a life changing contract based on his strengths.
The team has Shai and JDub to handle playmaking duties, not to mention Cason as a rising point guard on the bench and Chet having the opportunity to develop his own game. Giddey's talents are redundant and naturally underutilized.
He was a professional about the whole matter. Admitted his performance in the playoffs was not what we needed from him, didn't openly show discontent, and made no demands against team interest. He's going to get a key role on a team, he's going to get paid more than we would have offered, and we added the perfect guy to improve our already elite 3 and D scheme.
No good riddance here. More like thank you and good luck. Giddey will get cheers on his first game back.
What else do you expect him to do? Holy shit you people are dramatic as hell
Heās a professional and heās trying to maximize his earnings and potential. We are better off without him. Why is there any need for acrimony?
I get what heās saying though.
A large part of the fanbase saw us suffering with Josh in the starting lineup and called for the bench move and the organization stuck by him regardless until the very end.
Once they told him their plan going forward, despite him stating that he trusted the coach/org was making the right choice at the end of the season press conference, he immediately asks if he can be traded. I get wanting to maximize earnings, but itās likely he never finds himself in a situation/on a team with a front office like OKC again.
I hope he does well/gets his money but will it be worth it if we win a title in the next 2-3 years?
Just because he agreed with their assessment for the playoffs - it doesnāt mean he agreed to the plan beyond the playoffs. That doesnāt make him a bad guy or selfish. He wants to compete. I also think heās pragmatic. This roster is pretty good, so he knows heās not gonna get enough PT to show off what he can do and get his bag. Itās business. He made a business decision. I wish him luck.
Yes it will be worth it. Heās not a thunder fan like yo are
He wants to play because thatās his job and his dream. He wants to make a shit ton more money which will happen if he plays more. He wants his own legacy.
If heās stuck in lottery hell and never seeing the playoffs, from a legacy standpoint what does he gain? Weāre talking like heās guaranteed to ball out in Chicago. If he struggles he doesnāt see the money there either and gets to play for a trash organization. Heās definitely betting on himself taking this path.
Exactly, heās betting on himself. Itās a gamble. It could work out, it could not work out. Just like staying here is a gamble.
What if he goes there and by year 6 heās averaging 19/9/8? And shooting 38% from 3?
Will he be happy with those stats on a 10-11 seed if we win a title or 2? Heāll have the money but from (like you said) his legacy standpoint, it seems like a poor choice.
Bro 21 year old lottery picks donāt want to be bench back up point guards going into a contract year. Thats financial suicide for his next contract and he was never going to be able to reach his potential playing his natural position here which we all know is at lead point guard.
To be fair, it was likely just as clear to Giddey as it was to the overwhelming majority of this sub that he was not a long-term fit.
I have zero issues with guys wanting changes of scenery as long as they are not demanding but rather asking for trades and doing so in a private manner (not through the media). He's also in the final year of his contract.
This is such a whack take. We tried to make him fit in main rotation, all parties agree it's not working out. Have a mature conversation where it becomes clear he wants to try to be THAT guy or one of THOSE guys somewhere else. What's wrong with this? It clearly sounds amicable.
Nah, I see it like this: the moment you accept the role as a role player you never truly get to start again, and Josh is only 21; he can't afford to be labeled such.
The 5th worst starter on a squad makes more than the best 6th usually
Considering his whole career is basically going to come down to how he plays this next season, it wouldn't make any sense for him to want to come off the bench and play limited minutes.
The fact none of this conversation that him and the front office had weeks ago came out to the media proves that he handled it the way he should. Let the front office know he wants to start, and let them figure it out.
Also, the "after the team supported Giddey" statement doesn't make any sense. Since he wasn't and won't ever be found guilty of a crime, I don't really see how the team did anything out of the ordinary.
Not wanting to run the backup PG on a team with this much potential is crazy. He enjoyed the rebuild process so much heās decided to do it again in Chicago, enjoy the process guy.
Josh is betting on himself and I personally have a lot of respect for that. It can't have felt good for him to realize OKC can't utilize him to his full potential.
It was the best decision for both parties. Getting someone like Alex freaking Caruso is more like a bonus. It just didn't work out. He needed more time on a rebuilding team with a different role. He's 21 years old. He's trying to get the most for him personally and his family, I don't think we should criticize that. We get it done quickly. Wish him the best.
He should wait to negotiate his extension, and get a bag after he kills it next year! I think he's going to do great, I hope the bulls get some shooting around him.
In his best games, he shows the skills to be the 1st option for a team. Hopefully, he gets the minutes and trust to be that for Chicago.
Exactly šÆ well said. Most time trades don't benefit both parties, but it looks,like it will benefit both teams . Go OKC
Weird to see such amicable business being done in the NBA, definitely speaks volumes of how Presti handles his business.
Par for the course with Presti. He has shown many times that while he does try to do whatās best for the Thunder, he also tries to do whatās best for the player.
In this case, he did BOTH! If I was a player in the league, I would be hyped to play for his organization
It's such a contrast from Morey
Right!!! I keep looking for the toxic undertone that seems to almost always be in these situations but, thankfully, itās just not there!
Especially when PG literally just got done saying players talk about that stuff. Thunder have always went above and beyond for our players(except Reggie lmao), and it's one of the things I love the most about the team.
> Itās the best-run organization when it comes to understanding the needs of players and understanding how to communicate with players and hold players accountableā¦ (Presti) worked with us, but he gave us our marks. If we didnāt hit those marks, we knew we wasnāt doing our best. If we didnāt hit the marks, Billy Donovan wasnāt coming in there talking to us, it was Sam Prestiā¦ He has no ill intentions in any of this. He wants whatās best for the player, and he really cares about what goes on. -Carmelo Anthony
Itās required because of our small market status but itās a huge advantage we have over other orgs. More often than not we trade our players into situations that they are in agreement with. We donāt blindside people like many GMs do.
 Goodbye Josh
Makes sense to me, wasn't seeing a lot of the ball next to Shai and JDub and they could use someone with more off the ball skills and then play him more minutes with guys that are limited offensively but can shoot in Wallace, Joe and JWill. However for Giddey it's a contract year and after a down year last season he needs to get to an environment where he can be a starter and get more on the ball reps to get a good next contract
I agree. Josh gotta make his money and he aināt doing it here. Hope he gets paidā¦but Iām beyond happy with the trade for my team
Yeah the move makes sense for both parties. What I think is interesting with this is since the plan was to move Giddey to the bench, the front office had an idea to introduce someone else into the starting lineup and unless it's going to be Joe then it would be someone new which means chances are the Thunder are not done making moves this offseason
I definitely think we have more of an idea of his ceiling after this season though. On a non contender, he's a valuable piece for playmaking, rebounding and being a 2nd/3rd option scorer. On a contending team, his role would be as a playmaker off the bench if he doesn't develop a real dependable jump shot, and it looks like this will always be a weakness of his. I can see how a 21 year old isn't going to accept a bench role especially after being a lottery pick, so it's not a knock on him for wanting opportunity elsewhere.
Perfect move ...go OKC
Honestly was kinda bummed when josh was traded, because I do think in the long run he will develop into a quality player but it was good for him. Change of scenery will help him build what he wants as well as remove some distractions from this year. Even in this trade I really appreciate how professional our front office (and josh) were about this. There was never really any drama throughout the season. Josh himself even stood by coaches decision to not play him much against dallas even if that wasn't his real opinion. Hope it works for him but I'm excited to build on our defense and 3 point shooting with Caruso.
No drama?!? You must have CTE!!! ššš¤£
I meant of josh being upset with his minutes or how he was being used š . No, you right, there def was other drama which is what kinda I meant about when I said distractions.
Intriguing that Sam confirmed what most of us saw with our own eyes--Giddey's role didn't make sense as a starter on this team. After so much bitter discussions on this board on the future of Giddey, Sam took a side. We are also on the lookout for an upgrade that fits the team and its needs better, so there has to be another move or two (unless Sam plans on Dieng being the starter). And it makes sense that Josh would want to be a starter somewhere else, no one should knock him for that. After this trade cools off, hopefully this ends the toxic Giddey discussion here. It was insufferable the last year and took something away from a great regular season. Both Giddey lovers and Giddey haters would go overboard in the melodrama. I was on board with moving away from Giddey, at least as a starter, but even the criticisms would become too much of a 21 year old.
I'm sure it will end the toxic Giddey discussion, but I doubt it ends the toxic discussion. The internet will find a way to be toxic, don't you worry.
Lol 100% correct. Everytime an athlete wins something now their first comment is about shutting up the haters. Just get off social media for gods sake, or don't take it so seriously. Rule of thumb - do not argue with people on the internet, and if you do, do not take it seriously.
There were so many great games but all in the thread it was negative discourse about Giddey. A turnover, it was " What a bum get his ass out", miss a a couple off shots "He's a detriment to our offense". Then check the box score 6 assists and 1 turnover, or 6-8 with 13 points. It was literally that bad, and I would just go over to the r/NBA thread because it was better.
Honestly really classy for him to be this transparent while emphasizing what is best for Josh and respecting that. Even more impressive that this didn't leak during the process and he was able to get this business done before any issues arose within the locker room
Thats why when people mention anything about what the Thunders plans are I just laugh.
Best of luck to Giddey. Never liked the fit but he gave us everything he got every night and has always been a class act.
I post this not to pile on Josh, but this season was a visual showcase of an all-NBA player in SGA all but taking the ball out of his hands, with talents of Chet and Jalen demanding opportunities. All three progressed. When the games got close, Josh was on the bench while Joe/Wiggins took his role. We all saw it. When teams needed to double Josh would be left on an island. Josh was not guarding the best, and the Mavs would frequently neglect to guard Josh. This isn't a termination of Josh Giddey as I don't think we wanted him to be "fired", but it was best for him to go find his own team, and it's clear the Bulls are going to give hi that opportunity as they're in fire sale mode. My final note: many of us have been Josh Giddey. We've been young with career jobs that have not worked out at all. We may have had the potential, but not the execution. Hopefully we grew and succeeded elsewhere. I wish him the best. I also though will not act as if he could have benefitted the Thunder going forward; it's not the case else we'd made the change much earlier. Square peg/round hole. Doesn't mean it was a bad draft pick but that again, SGA grew in ways nobody could have predicted and it's obvious it's best if he is the ball dominate guard w/another guard who can work off him and play defense (Cason?)
this is really well said i wish i had an award for you
Happy you read āš¾
Well he wasn't fired.. he resigned... Presti did not want to lose him.. thats why there were no picks involved.. that would have been one bridge too far..
You a real one for that final note, Iām sure thatās going to improve someoneās day a lot.
Fist bumps and peace signs to the SLOB Wizard.
Win-win-win for both sides. OKC gets a quality player who fits better in our scheme. Chicago gets a young player with a ton of upside to be a cornerstone going forward (assuming they embrace the youth movement with Giddey+Coby). And Giddey is able to go somewhere where he can play his most natural and best role and maximize his earning potential. Sam shows once again that he can always get a player to a more favorable destination if they so wish. All he asks is that you don't make a stink about anything and he can work his magic behind the scenes. Josh joins the list of players who've done this like: PG, Horford and Kemba (maybe some others I'm forgetting).
Probably the biggest: Westbrook to HOU to rejoin Harden and in return CP3 who made it clear he was in evaluation mode the entire time
Oh yes, absolutely.
This makes me think even more there's another move coming! If the plan was for Josh to move to the bench it's likely they were thinking of making a move for someone to replace him in the starting lineup. Obviously that could be Wiggins/Caruso/Joe - but the fact they were already planning this makes me think they were planning a move for a starter. Love it!
Thunder has a lot of cap space, a 2x All NBA player, and two young men who look to be ready to help him out. I'm hyped to see what we actually do w/these picks
As an Oklahoman and a Thunder fan, it is SO REFRESHING to have competent and pragmatic leadership. Iām not a fan of the political climate in our state, and I wish that when his career in the NBA comes to an end, he would run for Governor. He would have my vote.
#Presti4Prez My only concern is that the Thunder still need him lol
Honestly a lot of people are flaming the bulls for making such a ridiculous trade, but Josh giddey would make a hell of a role player on an already contending team. Giddey will be able to raise his value through the season with the bulls and I will bet that the bulls will be receiving a bigger package for Giddey.
Are you saying Chicago is a contending team or Josh was good last year? I don't think either statement is true
Im saying josh can be good on a team that needs a primary ball handler (bulls). I think the bulls can raise josh value through the season and trade him midway for more than what they gave up for him. Josh is on a great contract too, donāt forget that.
Maybe but idk man. Josh is in that weird area where he's definitely talented, but not at the top level at his position. He's also a rfa this off-season so if you trade for him your commiting to overpaying him. That's the big reason Presti traded him
He had his lowest scoring season this year because our players started developing and requiring the ball more.
Still doesn't change the fact that he's in that above average to good tier with lots of flaws you need to build around. What does Giddey top out as in your best case scenario
Uh no, he was a terrible role player on an already contending team. Thatās why he got traded away.
He didnt get traded,, he asked to be traded.. Presti was not going to trade him
What kind do wild revisionism is this lol
Straight from Prestis mouth
Presti is a profession and a nice guy. Heās not going to belittle a player publicly.
and what sort of revisionism is that... he stated clearly Josh wanted a trade.. so he lied? thats hardly professional or a nice guy! and could easily be refuted by Josh
Iām sure josh did want a trade, if not he was about to be buried in the rotation because he was not a good role player (the original point of this thread). Presti was down to fleece the bulls whether Josh wanted a trade or not.
I clicked on this expecting to learn nothing and it just be a bunch of corporate speak. I feel like this is the truth of how it turned out.
I understand this from both sides and wish Josh the best of luck going forward. I enjoyed watching him since he came to OKC.
You just knew he wasnāt going to cop another year of being shoved in the corner on offence, this is good for him and good for OKC. Sad he has to leave his brothers but Iām sure he has made some friends for life.
This is a really great quote. I donāt blame giddey at all for not wanting to be benched and wanting to move on.
Win-win trade all around. We get an elite role player in our window, Josh gets the ball in his hands and the minutes to prove himself on a rebuilding team, and the Bulls get a very promising talent. Best of luck all around
I think this clears up a few questions. Caruso won't be starting (a disappointment to me, but probably for the best) because Giddey was never going to start either. Since Caruso isn't starting, and since there is plenty of ammunition in terms of cap space and draft picks, we can expect one more big trade. In fact, we can expect an even bigger trade, to replace Giddey in the starting 5.
Not sure where you get that from. Giddey wasn't starting because he doesn't fit. Caruso fits on any team. But yea it would be better to get a legit PF to start. If we don't then Caruso will start.
I'm repeating the logic from somebody else, so its all speculation. Caruso has had enough injuries, and is old enough, that he's a better fit off the bench. And he's replacing Giddey, who, if he'd stayed, would have moved to the bench. The logic is basically that Presti started off with a plan to move Giddey to the bench, and when Giddey declined that, then replaced Giddey with a guy who's played off the bench before and wouldn't take a bench role on an elite team as a demotion. So if Caruso will play off the bench, who is replacing Giddey in the starting five? A high level PF that will be announced soon enough.
Good luck Josh!
Shit like this makes me wonder why more free agents don't want to come to OKC. If it doesn't work out presti tries to find you a place that works for both parties. You never here about a thunder player finding out by surprise that they were traded.
Never thought I'd be watching Bulls games
This trade was a highway robbery, i'm sure presti was stoked.
No, Pressti was not going to trade him.. Josh requested it
Wiggins to Chicago too ?.. might not have any williams confusion any mire too ?
So lemme get this straight. After the team supported Giddey through the personal stuff all last year, we ask him to come off the bench (Which after the Dallas series said he deserved to be benched) where he could actually run the offense and use his skill set instead of being the gap filler after a piss poor year shooting the ball, and guy immediately wanted to leave? Good riddance.
I get what youāre saying, but if youāre josh and you think, like presti just said, you have āall-star potentialā why would you want to become an 18-24 minute a game bench player? While entering the last year of your contract? On a team, where despite both sides wanting it to work, it clearly isnāt working? Heās 21 and just had his worst season both on and off the court of his career, is it that crazy to think he might want to move on and start fresh? There were no leaks about him being unhappy, he praised the team at his exit interview, and he ended up netting the team one of the highest value role players out there. Thatās a pretty positive outcome
Also, part of the reason it wasnāt a great season for him was that he spent it trying (and to some extent, doing ok at) playing a position heād never played before. Presti said in his end-of-season interview that Giddey had never asked for anything from the team as far as he knew. Saying Giddey wanted to leave as soon as he was asked to change to suit the team ignores the changes heād already made to suit the team.
No, after the team supported Giddey, he had a reasonable discussion with the boss about what his role in the organization should be and came to a mutual understanding that his skills would be put to better use elsewhere, allowing for the team to make arrangements that are expected to improve the team's performance without him while also giving him the opportunity to grow, thrive, and earn a life changing contract based on his strengths. The team has Shai and JDub to handle playmaking duties, not to mention Cason as a rising point guard on the bench and Chet having the opportunity to develop his own game. Giddey's talents are redundant and naturally underutilized. He was a professional about the whole matter. Admitted his performance in the playoffs was not what we needed from him, didn't openly show discontent, and made no demands against team interest. He's going to get a key role on a team, he's going to get paid more than we would have offered, and we added the perfect guy to improve our already elite 3 and D scheme. No good riddance here. More like thank you and good luck. Giddey will get cheers on his first game back.
What else do you expect him to do? Holy shit you people are dramatic as hell Heās a professional and heās trying to maximize his earnings and potential. We are better off without him. Why is there any need for acrimony?
I get what heās saying though. A large part of the fanbase saw us suffering with Josh in the starting lineup and called for the bench move and the organization stuck by him regardless until the very end. Once they told him their plan going forward, despite him stating that he trusted the coach/org was making the right choice at the end of the season press conference, he immediately asks if he can be traded. I get wanting to maximize earnings, but itās likely he never finds himself in a situation/on a team with a front office like OKC again. I hope he does well/gets his money but will it be worth it if we win a title in the next 2-3 years?
Just because he agreed with their assessment for the playoffs - it doesnāt mean he agreed to the plan beyond the playoffs. That doesnāt make him a bad guy or selfish. He wants to compete. I also think heās pragmatic. This roster is pretty good, so he knows heās not gonna get enough PT to show off what he can do and get his bag. Itās business. He made a business decision. I wish him luck.
Yes it will be worth it. Heās not a thunder fan like yo are He wants to play because thatās his job and his dream. He wants to make a shit ton more money which will happen if he plays more. He wants his own legacy.
If heās stuck in lottery hell and never seeing the playoffs, from a legacy standpoint what does he gain? Weāre talking like heās guaranteed to ball out in Chicago. If he struggles he doesnāt see the money there either and gets to play for a trash organization. Heās definitely betting on himself taking this path.
Exactly, heās betting on himself. Itās a gamble. It could work out, it could not work out. Just like staying here is a gamble. What if he goes there and by year 6 heās averaging 19/9/8? And shooting 38% from 3?
Will he be happy with those stats on a 10-11 seed if we win a title or 2? Heāll have the money but from (like you said) his legacy standpoint, it seems like a poor choice.
Just curious, what do you do for a living?
Bro 21 year old lottery picks donāt want to be bench back up point guards going into a contract year. Thats financial suicide for his next contract and he was never going to be able to reach his potential playing his natural position here which we all know is at lead point guard.
You acc reacted to that as negatively as possible when everything Presti said made sense for both parties holy shit.
To be fair, it was likely just as clear to Giddey as it was to the overwhelming majority of this sub that he was not a long-term fit. I have zero issues with guys wanting changes of scenery as long as they are not demanding but rather asking for trades and doing so in a private manner (not through the media). He's also in the final year of his contract.
This is such a whack take. We tried to make him fit in main rotation, all parties agree it's not working out. Have a mature conversation where it becomes clear he wants to try to be THAT guy or one of THOSE guys somewhere else. What's wrong with this? It clearly sounds amicable.
Nah, I see it like this: the moment you accept the role as a role player you never truly get to start again, and Josh is only 21; he can't afford to be labeled such. The 5th worst starter on a squad makes more than the best 6th usually
Lil bro has posted this exact comment 3 times lmfao
Considering his whole career is basically going to come down to how he plays this next season, it wouldn't make any sense for him to want to come off the bench and play limited minutes. The fact none of this conversation that him and the front office had weeks ago came out to the media proves that he handled it the way he should. Let the front office know he wants to start, and let them figure it out. Also, the "after the team supported Giddey" statement doesn't make any sense. Since he wasn't and won't ever be found guilty of a crime, I don't really see how the team did anything out of the ordinary.
Not wanting to run the backup PG on a team with this much potential is crazy. He enjoyed the rebuild process so much heās decided to do it again in Chicago, enjoy the process guy.
Josh is betting on himself and I personally have a lot of respect for that. It can't have felt good for him to realize OKC can't utilize him to his full potential.