The Celtics remain favorites to repeat as champions entering the 2023-24 season but one of their expected top challengers got a big boost on Thursday. The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired defensive stalwart Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for 21-year-old Josh Giddey in a straight up trade. The move represents a stellar start to the offseason for Thunder GM Sam Presti as he adds to the supporting cast of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season.
From a Celtics perspective, the deal represents a mix of good and bad news. Caruso was one of the most sought after players at last year’s trade deadline with the Celtics among many other contenders that inquired about his availability. The Bulls reportedly turned down multiple first round picks in offers for Caruso before electing to hold onto the 31-year-old veteran for a playoff push that never happened after Chicago lost ugly in the play-in tournament.
Trading Caruso now represents a pivot for the Bulls to turning younger and realizing their current aging core isn’t taking them anywhere in an improving Eastern Conference. Still, it’s hard not to be underwhelmed by the return here for the Bulls given what the type of offers they likely had on the table in February. Instead of adding some draft capital, they land a young player that was not only exposed during the Thunder’s postseason run due to his lack of reliable 3-point shooting (31 percent from career) but is also due a sizable raise next summer with one year left on his rookie deal. Giddey has plenty of potential at age 21 but giving up one of the most sought after role players in the league for the right to pay his next big deal in 12 months feels like a major misfire.
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Meanwhile, the Thunder here accomplished multiple goals by landing Caruso. They weren’t going to be able to afford Giddey over the long term anyway with the deals they will be paying soon for the rest of their young core. More specifically though, Caruso fills a far greater need for them as a 3-and-D player on the wing. They tried to land that type of player in Gordon Hayward at the trade deadline but the veteran failed to make a meaningful impact coming back from injuries. Caruso is the far more proven commodity at this point in his career and the Thunder still have plenty of trade ammo (draft picks and young players) to add around their young stars.
Oklahoma City was one shot away from forcing a Game 7 against the Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals and they are expected only to improve from here with such a talented young core locked up. Few teams in the NBA are equipped now to add to their core like Oklahoma City and they just landed one of the best role players in the market at a discount price. The Celtics can be happy that they won’t have to deal with Caruso in the Eastern Conference anymore but the odds of the Thunder emerging as a top Western Conference threat to Boston next season just went up.
