Australian NBA star Josh Giddey has reportedly been traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls, in a move that would be a major downgrade in terms of team quality.
Giddey started every game he played in as the Thunder finished the 2023/24 regular season atop the uber-competitive Western Conference, while Chicago failed to make the play-offs in the relatively cruisy east and missed the post-season for the seventh time in the past nine seasons.
While OKC won 57 of 82 games and reached the second round of the play-offs, the Bulls lost more than half their games — a 39-43 win-loss record, which was 21st out of 30 teams in the league — and finished with seven fewer victories than the Miami Heat one spot above them in their conference.
First reported by ESPN, Giddey is swapping places with Alex Caruso, who is in many ways Giddey's polar opposite.
A highly touted sixth pick in the 2021 draft, Giddey, now 21, is an oversized guard famed for silky passing and a flowing mane of hair, but his outside shooting leaves a lot to be desired.
Caruso, 30, is a stocky bald bulldog, a two-time all-defensive player and shot over 40 per cent from three-point range last season — his seventh in the NBA after going undrafted in 2016.
Also, while Caruso has respect around the league for his play, Giddey is a polarising figure, and not only because of his play on the court.
Giddey was investigated during the season after accusations by an anonymous social media user that he had an improper relationship with an underage girl.
The NBA and the Newport Beach Police Department investigated. Police completed their investigation in January and detectives were "unable to corroborate any criminal activity". The NBA also later dropped its investigation.
Giddey was constantly booed on the road and averaged career lows of 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season, as well as his lowest mark of 25.1 minutes per game.
Caruso's frenetic defence and solid shooting from deep should help him pair well with Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in MVP voting last season but is also not a prolific or particularly efficient three-point shooter.
Giddey's play improved the second half of the regular season, but his playing time was cut significantly in the play-offs, and he eventually lost his spot in the starting line-up for the first time in his career.
The 6'8" (2.03m) point guard is set to play a key role for the Boomers at next month's Paris Olympics as they try to better their bronze medal from Tokyo.
"Josh is the guy," Australia men's coach Brian Goorjian told News Corp in May.
"The skill that he has and what he is, we're going to put the ball in his hands and he is going to be making the decisions.
"He is the one when you are on the sideline and you're calling him over because it's his game."
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ABC/AP