Josh Giddey expects trade to Bulls to ‘unlock’ his potential

CHICAGO — Although new Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey was complimentary of his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he confirmed on Tuesday that he did tell Thunder GM Sam Presti that he did not want to come off the bench in conversations this offseason that eventually led to him being traded.

“I just said to him at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something that I was overly eager to do,” Giddey said Tuesday at his introductory news conference in Chicago. “And he completely understood, and throughout the whole process we were open and honest with each other…. He got it. We worked together through the whole process, and he got me to a great spot.”

Giddey, the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was acquired by Chicago last week after spending his first three seasons with Oklahoma City. The Bulls traded Alex Caruso, one of the league’s most coveted role players, to acquire Giddey in a move that begins reshaping a Bulls team that has missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

During a virtual video call with the media Tuesday at his new team’s practice facility, Giddey highlighted the end of his tenure in Oklahoma City while emphasizing that he was excited about a change of scenery and bigger role with Chicago.

Giddey, 21, joins the Bulls after averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds on 47.5% shooting last season. His production decreased compared with the 2022-23 season, but Giddey acknowledged Tuesday that he was learning to adjust to a different role as the Thunder became an unlikely No.1 seed in the Western Conference.

“It wasn’t a negative look on me. It was more so our team got so good,” Giddey said. “There were multiple players who could handle the ball and do different things. I had to adjust. I had to learn different things.

“While you’re in the midst of it, it’s hard to see the light, but looking back on it now, probably taught me a lot of lessons that are needed for a young player early in their career and how to adapt to different environments.”

The Bulls have been in search of some direction at point guard for the past few seasons. They signed Lonzo Ball before the 2021-22 season, but he has been limited to 35 games during his entire Bulls tenure by multiple knee injuries. He has not played in a game since January 2022.

Chicago has cycled through a few options in his place in recent years — from Goran Dragic and Jevon Carter to the team’s more promising younger players in Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White — and although Ball has expressed optimism about his status for the 2024-25 season, the team has been searching for clarity at that position.

Giddey emerged as one of the most creative young playmakers in the NBA in his first two seasons. Although he said he had not discussed specific roles with the team yet, the Bulls are eager to give him an opportunity with the ball in his hands.

“It was going to be hard to tap into my full potential, in my opinion, on a team like [Oklahoma City] with so many talented guys who needed the ball in their hands, who were great with the ball in their hands,” Giddey said. “A change of scenery was going to maybe unlock more of that for me.

“Being able to make the game easy for everybody, being able to get guys involved, distribute the ball and get other players confident around me is the thing I pride myself on doing. And it’s hard to do that in a role when the ball isn’t in your hands a lot. … That’s probably the big thing coming in here. I want to be the pass-first point guard I am.”

Giddey started 80 games for the Thunder this season, a career high, but his scoring average dropped from 16.6 PPG in the regular season to 12.3 in the playoffs as his minutes diminished. He came off the bench for Oklahoma City’s final two playoff games.

“For it to end the way it did kind of left a sour taste in my mouth for a long time,” Giddey said. “It’s tough to go into the summer with that as your last [taste] in the NBA for that season. It just shows me that there’s so many things I have to work on to be available in those moments.”

As a member of the 2021 draft class, Giddey is also eligible for a rookie-scale extension. On Tuesday, he said that he hasn’t thought much about an extension while getting used to his new surroundings after the trade and that he would let his agent handle that.

But he was excited about the Bulls roster, even if there is uncertainty about how it will look by the end of the summer: DeMar DeRozan is an unrestricted free agent, and Patrick Williams is a restricted free agent.

“Very talented team. Top to bottom,” Giddey said. “They’ve got a lot of guys. Obviously: Zach [LaVine], Demar. Coby was awesome, really emerged last year. Pat Williams, and then the young guys. … There’s a lot of talent on this team. I’m looking forward to coming in, trying to immerse myself in it. And not take away from anybody but just help this team continue to grow and get better.”