Former OKC Thunder Guard Continues Impressive Start to 2025-26 Campaign

Seldom is a trade in professional sports ever viewed as a "win" for both teams.

More often than not, one team receives the better end of the deal, even if it takes multiple years to ultimately determine which side got more value.

A year ago, though, the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder completed one of the most mutually beneficial trades in recent memory. In June 2024, Chicago agreed to send two-time All-Defense honoree Alex Caruso to OKC in exchange for Australian point guard Josh Giddey.

Giddey was coming off a lackluster playoff performance that saw the skilled passer get relegated to the bench after starting all season for the Thunder. Giddey's limitations on defense and lack of 3-point shooting ability made him a less than ideal on-court fit for Oklahoma City.

To compound that, Giddey has been at his best as a lead ball-handler and creater, which wouldn't be his role on an OKC team that also rosters MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As a result, the Thunder sent Giddey to Chicago and received Caruso, which immediately paid dividends for Oklahoma City.

Caruso may not have produced eye-popping stats during his first year in Oklahoma City, but the veteran's defense and timely 3-point shooting were instrumental in the Thunder's 2025 title run.

While Caruso proved to be the perfect role player for OKC, Giddey has also been solid in Chicago.

In his first year with the Bulls, Giddey tallied 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. This season, though, the 23-year-old's game has taken another step forward.

Seven games into his fifth NBA season, Giddey is averaging 23.1 points, 10 rebounds and 9.1 assists while shooting 49.6% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range on more than 4 attempts per contest.

Josh Giddey becomes the 2nd player in @chicagobulls franchise history to record back-to-back triple-doubles!

🔴 29 PTS
🔴 15 REB
🔴 12 AST

The other? Michael Jordan.

The Bulls move to 6-1 on the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/029KPottea
— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2025

Giddey's efforts have led the Bulls to a 6-1 record as the team has outperformed expectations early in the season. The Chicago guard has notched triple doubles in each of his past two showings, including a 29-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist outing in a win against the 76ers on Tuesday night.

After his solid start to the season, Giddey was a nominee for this season's second Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. While Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey won the honor, Giddey's performance could put him in the mix to earn his first All-Star nod if he continues to play well.

Guddey was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by OKC, averaging 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in three seasons with the team before being traded.

The Bulls and Thunder meet for the first time this season on March 3 in Chicago.

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