On June 20th, 2024, Arturas Karnisovas executed the first Chicago Bulls trade in over three full years. He sent 30-year-old Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are much more suited for the win-now skillset of the back-to-back All-NBA defender, in return for the 22-year-old playmaking point guard Josh Giddey. Chicago fans were pretty torn on the trade, primarily upset that Golden State had offered two first-round draft selections a few seasons ago for Caruso’s services and equally frustrated that dangling this elite asset at the trade deadline could have produced a greater return. In any case, Giddey is the Chicago Bulls starting point guard, and the fanbase has grown increasingly excited about the Australian, especially after seeing his stellar play in the 2024 Olympics. However, Giddey somewhat derailed the hype trail during today’s media session with some rather bleak news.
Not 100% Heading Into The Season
Healthy at the time of the Caruso trade, it was unknown to Chicago fans that something had changed since then. During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Giddey reportedly ruptured his ATFL ligament and has been held out of basketball activity ever since. During Australia’s quarterfinal loss on August 6th, Giddey’s final play ended in an ankle injury, which he said was more severe than initially thought. Still tracking to begin the season healthy, it’s not great news that he’s been out of basketball for over six weeks with the season around the corner.
The Bulls will carry two point guards into the opening day tip-off with potential lingering injuries, and Giddey’s was not surgically repaired. Most fans would agree to sideline the 22-year-old until he’s fully healthy, especially since this season is likely headed for another postseason shortcoming.
He’s Ready To Play With LaVine
The change of scenery for Giddey means a new set of teammates, including two-time All-Star and longest-tenured Chicago Bull Zach LaVine. The former OKC Thunder guard is leaving a top-three MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, so it’s safe to say he knows talent when it’s present. Giddey’s playmaking prowess and LaVine’s elite three-point shooting abilities could make for one of the better guard tandems leaguewide.
LaVine feels similar about his new counterpart, noting that he’s excited to play with a high-level playmaking guard again. The last complete month that the ex-Bruin guard was running alongside a top-tier pass-first guard was December of 2021, with Lonzo Ball averaging 27.8 points per game on 47.7% three-point shooting across nine games. Giddey’s ability to unlock that version of Chicago’s former All-Star guard will determine the level of success the organization experiences during the 2024-25 campaign.
Will Giddey be fully healthy heading into his first season in Chicago, and if he’s not, who will step into the starting point guard role? This is the lone mood-dampening topic that will need monitoring over the coming weeks from a media day mostly made of positive notes and hopeful interview answers.
