If you support a rebuilding NBA team, you’re likely attached to a player or two. How could you not be? The present is bleak. Your team is losing games. All you’ve got is the future – and your own personal vision of it.
With that said, sometimes, your vision will be wrong. Look at the Oklahoma City Thunder. For a couple of years, fans of this team have been picturing a group of plus-sized playmakers.
Recently, one of those plus-sized playmakers has been struggling. He may not be a part of this team’s long-term vision anymore. Yes, we’re talking about Josh Giddey.
He’s a remarkably gifted passer, but his inability to shoot and limited defensive value makes him a difficult player to build around. Meanwhile, the rest of this core may be moving on without him.
Could the Thunder send him to the Chicago Bulls?
NBA Trade Proposal: Chicago Bulls Land Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey
Chicago Bulls Receive: G/F Josh Giddey, G Tre Mann
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: G/F Alex Caruso, 2030 First-Round Pick (Lottery Protected – CHI)
If you support a win-now team, everything changes. You’re only attached to the players that are helping you win. If no player is accomplishing that goal, you’re probably frustrated. You may want to ship the whole roster off and start over.
This is likely the case for Bulls fans. They must be getting frustrated. The Bulls were disappointing last season, and so far, they’ve been frustrating again.
At some point, the Bulls are likely going to have to rebuild this roster. Perhaps life isn’t so bad for fans of rebuilding teams. Sure, the losing stings – but there’s a future to get invested in.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls Updates
Although, once again, that future may not look how you thought it would. Should the Thunder proceed into their future without Giddey?
Why The Oklahoma City Thunder Do The Deal
Portability is a big concept in some NBA circles. Can a player scale down? If they’re not the primary playmaker, do they still offer some value? For Giddey, the answer appears to be no.
That’s a problem for the Thunder. Nobody is going to usurp Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as this team’s primary playmaker. He is entrenched. So, the Thunder should be targeting players who will complement him. That’s what they’re doing here. Compared to Giddey, Caruso is extremely portable.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls Updates
Is he a perfect addition? Perhaps not. Caruso is a shaky three-point shooter. He’s also likely the best defensive guard in the NBA. Adding him will make the Thunder a better team, and as they transition into playing competitive basketball, that’s what’s most important.
Should the Bulls part with their defensive ace?
Why The Chicago Bulls Do The Deal
The Bulls need to rebuild. They also need a point guard. Here, they’re killing two birds with one stone. They’re getting a potential franchise cornerstone in Giddey, and he happens to be a point guard.
Sure, Giddey lacks portability. That’s not a problem if Chicago is starting from scratch. They can build around Giddey’s immense strengths. Meanwhile, if they happen to land a better primary point guard, that’s not a problem either – the Bulls can trade Giddey.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls Updates
Some will suggest that parting with a first-round pick is the wrong idea for a rebuilding team. This pick is deliberately designed to offset those concerns. If the Bulls are in the lottery by 2030, something has gone horribly wrong. That’s not a future that any of their fans will want to envision.
