Not enough could be said of the Chicago Bulls' decision to send a two-time All-NBA Defender to one of the NBA's best teams in exchange for a disgruntled former sixth-overall pick coming off a disastrous playoff run that saw him benched following consecutive subpar outings.
The item in question is the Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder's swap of then-21-year-old Josh Giddey for then-30-year-old Alex Caruso. Despite a trade request from the former, Chicago sent a valuable asset coming off an All-NBA Defensive Second Team appearance in exchange for the latter while failing to acquire any draft capital from the well-compensated Thunder.
The trade was initially hit with plenty of criticism. Bleacher Report graded the Bulls a D-, stating, "This is an impressively unspectacular move even by the Bulls' endlessly unremarkable standards." CBS Sports gave Chicago a C- while referring to Giddey as a "work in progress." Lastly, ESPN criticized the Bulls' inability to poach draft capital from the Thunder, handing out a C- grade.
The commonality between the several outlets is the Thunder's assessment. Every media outlet graded the Thunder as an A or better. Bleacher Report even gave Oklahoma City an "A++++++," calling the move "an overkill of genius."
Chicago should be considered as the winners in the Caruso-for-Giddey swap
Nevertheless, 263 days later, the Bulls should be declared winners of this player-for-player swap. Sure, Caruso's raw statistics never leaped off the page. He's a defensive dynamo who profiles as a do-it-all glue guy. Still, the 6-foot-5 guard averages merely 6.4 points while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from three-point range.
Furthermore, his usual all-world defense isn't making as much of a difference to his team's success as it has in recent seasons. The Thunder allow 3.3 points per 100 possessions less with Caruso on the floor—a career-low impact for the former Bull. His defense remains impactful; the -3.3 points per 100 possessions rank in the 77th percentile. Yet, is he worth the four-year, $81 million extension he signed in December? Probably not.
On the other hand, Giddey averages 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists this season. The Aussie is cashing in on 45.8 percent of his field goals and a career-high 37.5 percent of his triples. Playing for a losing team, the Bulls are only slightly worse with Giddey. Among Bulls to suit up for 50 or more contests, Giddey ranks third in net rating.
However, the 6-foot-8 guard does provide a positive impact on a 100-possession basis. Chicago is 1.1 points per 100 possessions defensively better with Giddey on the floor, which ranks in the 60th percentile. His impact isn't as meaningful offensively (-0.3), yet he ranks in the 50th percentile.
On a full-season scale, Giddey is, at worst, marginally better than Caruso. You can never take the latter's transcendent intensity and hustle with a grain of salt. But Giddey's recent play has made the Bulls appear as the geniuses in the trade.
Giddey has been phenomenal over the past two months
Following the Bulls' decision to trade franchise stalwart Zach LaVine, Giddey has taken his game to the next level. The 22-year-old averaged a monthlong-low 10.1 points in January prior to LaVine's departure. Since then, Giddey averaged 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.7 three-pointers per contest in February. In three games in March, he's averaged 21.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.
No matter how invaluable Caruso is, it's impossible to overlook a 22-year-old averaging a near-triple-double while converting 49.3 percent of his three-pointers as the primary playmaker. Giddey's game would have never reached such heights in Oklahoma City. Chicago's free-flowing offense, which allows Giddey to take advantage of his combo guard skillset in a five-out offense, has positioned the Aussie to succeed.
The sole downside to the trade was, and still is, Giddey's impending free agency. Chicago took a risk trading for a pending restricted free agent. Yet, after the Thunder decided to extend Caruso, who's 10 years older than Giddey, for $20 million annually, the Bulls' contract offer to Giddey won't appear nearly as exorbitant, considering the stellar latter half of his inaugural campaign with the Bulls.