> But watching Caruso become a genuinely critical playoff piece

Wasn’t he that the whole time? That’s what he was during the Lakers run

Shitting on the Bulls, when really you should be shitting on the Lakers. He would be the perfect guy for that team and they were too cheap to resign him on a 4 year $37 million dollar deal.

Giddey is a good young player, BUT he also was sort of the odd man out in OKC - his skillset didn’t fit well with what their overall strategy has been the past couple of years and they didn’t want to pay him when they have so many other guys that will need to be paid.

The Bulls absolutely should have been able to get one of the many, many picks that OKC has in exchange for taking him but their front office was bad.

Ultimately it worked out because Giddey has improved alot, but it’s also true that it’s crazy they couldnt even get 1 late first out of the 100 picks OKC has.

Giddey is a really good and young player. Caruso is a top tier role player but getting a good young player is good value

Caruso only had a year left on his contract and didn’t have impressive stats that year although fans knew he was impactful. I think it’s revisionist to say a a team would’ve traded a first round pick for him at that time although you could certainly argue the bulls should have traded him sooner and in that case they may have been able to get a pick, though probably not a high one

Imo getting giddey and locking him in to a fair contract was worth more than a low end frp

Ah yes the first round pick that we hope would pan out into a player as solid as giddey

Am I crazy for preferring the 23 year old 6’7 PG who just averaged 17/8/9

Teams didn’t step up with good offers for Caruso. I think the best besides Giddey was a couple of late firsts. The author mentions they could have gotten more without evidence.

Now I’m starting to wonder if the Bulls just have a terrible front office or something!

As a Bulls fan, the only silver lining of that trade is that Caruso gets to play in meaningful playoff games, which he absolutely deserves to, and it is good for basketball that we all get to see it, and it would never happen if he were stuck in Chicago.

please tell me we are not doing this again. it was a great win win trade.

yelp, must be the worst trade in NBA history, right?

Why are people obsessed with the pick? More likely than not, it would have been a 27th overl pick and you’ve seen what they do with the 4th overall pick. Giddey was a good return for an elite bench role player.

Caruso does next to nothing for a team like the bulls, outside of some vet leadership stuff. A Giddey is more useful to them the same way a Caruso is more useful to OKC

Nico said “hold my beer”

I mean Giddey is a better all around player than Caruso. I’ve ever really understood why people think Chicago should have gotten so much more.

Other teams could have offered more. Everyone knew the Bulls were selling. Why do people talk about this like it’s somehow Chicago’s fault? Blame 28 other stupid teams. 

Also, look at the hit rate of late first round picks. How many of them actually pan out to be better than Giddey? Would something like 2 1sts and salary filler actually have been better?

This criticism of Chicago for this has always been dumb. 

Giddey is a second option level top tier point guard. Caruso is a fourth option kind of player. Win win trade

AKME were easily the worst front office in the history of Chicago sports…completely inept and preaching “continuity” on a perennial play in team

Whoa just think, had that trade not happened the Bulls would still suck and OKC would have still lost that game last night.

At least bulls got something in return robs dipshit ass let him go for fucking 8 mill and instead kept tht’s ass

At the time, giddey was 21 with multiple seasons of NBA experience. Younger than some draft picks in the forthcoming drafts. So basically a top 5 pick?

Presti will be exposed for the mind-controlling wizard that he is very soon

I’m sorry the Bulls easily could’ve gotten the 2026 clippers pick with Giddey. With all the off court stuff at that time with Giddey especially!

This trade was a win for both teams.

Caruso’s skills were being wasted on a Bulls team that was going nowhere - every championship contender can use a guy like Caruso.

On the flip side, Giddey wasn’t even getting any playing time on the Thunder in the playoffs, and he would have never had the chance to spread his wings and be a #1 or 2 option on the Thunder.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have trusted the Bulls front office to draft anyone better than Giddey, so not getting any picks is whatever.

Okc the only team allowed to field linebackers in an nba game

I wouldn’t say he played elite defense last night especially since his coach decided it was a good idea to put him on Wemby

If they’d traded Caruso for a mid-round 1st and a 2nd, drafted a Giddey-level player with the 1st and some no-name with the 2nd in a couple of years, would we still be talking about this trade like it was some terrible move?

The bulls make me sick

Many are saying the worst trade of all time. Can’t think of a single trade worse than this one. The search is over. Ignore my flair it’s irrelevant.

If anything Chicago should’ve given up a pick Giddeys better and younger Caruso fits better with the thunder

Can we let this go and move on lol

Lakers did it even worse bro, Caruso was willing to play for a little ceasars pizza and 5 bucks but they still said no

Caruso would have made them win too much to tank for picks I don’t think they’d change their mind given they just got the 4 pick 

Getting a combined zero first round picks for Caruso, DeRozan, LaVine, Vucevic, Lonzo, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu is franchise malpractice

EDIT - they did get one first round pick but it was their own pick that they gave away to get DeRozan in the first place

It’s amazing how much everyone has helped the the Thunder become a dynasty

I get it, but McCain returned 1 frp. Caruso is great, but much less valuable of an asset. Not to mention you basically have to bubble wrap him during the regular season or he’ll injure himself before the playoffs.

Giddey is still a valuable asset on a great contract. If the new FO doesnt like him they’ll probably be able to flip him to someone for a late first imo

Idk man giddy seems fine imo

Caruso is an elite role player on any contending team. The Bulls, the mediocre team that they are simply has no need for him. Banking on Giddey who showed glimpse of being a good regular starter to become better is a fair deal imo.

Bulls Pre and Post MJ, are a poorly run poverty franchise.

Why would the Bulls get a pick when they got the better player?

There are Bulls fans on the dedicated sub saying that Giddey and a box of donuts was still a fair trade. Homers gonna homer but jeeeeeesh

Lakers fan here:

Caruso on LA was awesome, he was the small ball glue guy that did all the dirty work- was awesome for the team and he played a solid role in the 2020 championship.

Then he got traded to the bulls because laker FO basically just let him walk in free agency and made little to no attempt go retain him. There he continued to do the dirty work in defense, and playing at a high physical level still.

Now he’s in OKC and doing more or less the same thing but here’s the problem with that:

How are the refs going to allow Caruso, who has been a highly physical defender his entire career- play the same level of defense he always has- in addition to his whole team playing that same level of physical defense- whilst also flopping every time lance Stephenson blows in someone’s ear.

I’d love to see him get moved to Detroit because they play defense at the same high level but don’t flop as much.

Just seems hypocritical that AC gets to be all handy manny- Mc diddy done diddled with EVERYONE he guards but the moment Wemby looks at him sideways he falls over and the foul goes on Wemby.

Nothing about this trade is “crazy”. Chicago absolutely made the right move and would do it again in a heartbeat. Caruso’s a nice role player who wasn’t going to make a difference in Chicago and needed to be traded.

Giddey is a very talented player who is 9 years younger and has serious potential as a scorer.

Why would anyone think Chicago should have also received a first round pick? The trade was fair at the time and still is. Caruso having a great game last night doesn’t change that fact.

this is the jordan curse continued,

all the bulls fans from that time period if you knew your team was gonna win 6 championships, 2 separate 3 peats, but the future generations would have to go through decades of pain and suffering would you have still taken it ?

The Giddy trade was good for the Bulls. Full stop.

This pick fetish is getting out of hand.

the bulls definitely won that trade