Josh Giddey Envisions Himself With OKC Thunder Long Term 'I love it here'

This Summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have a few key decisions to make with their roster. Their No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Josh Giddey, becomes eligible for his rookie-scale contract extension after an up-and-down 2023-24 season.

On Sunday, the Thunder held their annual exit interviews following the conclusion of their second-round playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks that saw Oklahoma City lose in six games. During that best-of-seven set, Giddey was benched for the first time in his career, snapping a 218-game starting streak.

That move felt like the cherry on top of an extremely uneven junior campaign for Giddey. During his exit interview, the 21-year-old guard was asked if he sees himself in Oklahoma City long-term ahead of this offseason's contract negotiation.

"Yeah, I love it here. This is a home away from home. I love everything about this place, the city, the fans. The organization top to bottom is just unbelievable people throughout the building, and getting to come here to work every day is a lot of fun. It doesn't feel like work," Giddey said.

The young guard seems to embody the old adage that if you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life when describing the environment in Bricktown.

"Every time I wake up in the morning, I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to see the guys. Even through times throughout the year where maybe it was dark days, maybe things weren't going great, getting to come in here every day and see my teammates made everything better," The 21-year-old explained.

While anyone can question the on-court fit or production, there is no questioning how tight-knit the group is as Giddey opined on Sunday.

"I just love the group of guys we've got and excited to keep growing with them and with [Mark Daigneault]. Everybody top to bottom has been unbelievable for me this entire season. I just love coming to work here every day," Giddey reflected.

It has yet to be seen if the Oklahoma City Thunder will bring back the 21-year-old in an attempt to wrong through the growing pains - and awkward fit - of this young guard. An argument can be made that both sides would improve from a shake-up.

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