The simple trade that turned the Thunder into a powerhouse

Alex Caruso scored 20 points in 27 minutes in Game 2 of the NBA Finals Sunday as the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers, 123-107. That was more points than any individual player on the Pacers. For the series, Caruso has the same number of points (31) as Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner.

OKC got Caruso, the two-time All-Defensive team guard, thanks to a simple trade from one year ago. The Thunder sent Josh Giddey, the No. 6 overall pick from 2021, to the Chicago Bulls to get the 31-year-old Caruso. Notably, the Bulls just got Giddey, and not a single one of the Thunder's future draft selections, which include the No. 15, No. 24 and No. 44 selections this June.

Giddey could put up points and assists, but his offense simply wasn't good enough for the Thunder. He was a limited outside shooter and a subpar defensive player who coach Mark Daigneault moved out of the starting lineup and almost out of the rotation entirely during last year's playoffs. Plus, Giddey is a restricted free agent this summer. For a team that will likely be extending Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren this summer, Giddey was a poor fit.

During the season, the Thunder limited Caruso's minutes to 19.3 per game, ninth on the team. In the playoffs, he's up to 23.1 minutes, getting 1.7 steals per game and shooting 41.6 percent on three-pointers. He's also been guarding every position, taking turns defending players ranging from Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle to Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.

Not only did the Thunder get a player much more suited to their style, they've locked him up long-term, handing out a four-year, $81M extension to Caruso in December. Now the Bulls are faced with paying Giddey a rumored five-year, $150M extension this summer.

While it made sense for the retooling Bulls to get younger and send Caruso to a contender, it was a big mistake not to even get a draft pick in their trade. Giddey might well turn into a valuable player someday. Caruso might be the missing piece that wins the Thunder a championship, and that is priceless.