The REAL Reason the Thunder Traded for Alex Caruso…

The REAL Reason the Thunder Traded for Alex Caruso…

we’ve had a few hours now to process this Alex kuso and Josh goody trade and it seems as though the Thunder did indeed win this trade but like I said before in the previous video I do think both sides won as the Bulls did find their point guard of the future as it seems like Lonzo ball just is not that guy anymore with all the injuries he’s dealt with however the truth behind this Alex guso trade goes even deeper I believe like when you look at it when you look at what he brings to the table defensively and offensively yes it’s great but it’s everything else going on behind the scenes as well we’re going to go ahead and dive deep into this in this video today and kind of go over this ESPN article that I found grading the trade where they gave the Oklahoma City Thunder an a uh grade for this trade for just Alex cruso because it’s one of those weird scenarios you don’t really see a just straightup player swap anymore in the NBA there’s always picks involved there’s always two or three players for one guy but more than likely there you always are including a pick no matter what in a trade no matter what and so it’s just rare to see that and I feel like that’s the one of the reasons the Thunder kind of have this higher gray than the Bulls do in this trade because there are a lot of questions surrounding Josh G if he can be that player however there’s a ton of things that open up for the Thunder and we’re going to goad and look into it here with the article the first thing that we have here all right this is written by Kevin Pelton to some extent then Oklahoma City can reasonably blame bad luck for what happened against Dallas but instead of resting on that the Thunder are also being proactive and trying to replicate the perimeter defense that helped Boston contain donic and Irving one-on-one already boasting three starters who received all defensive votes last season stoer Lou Dort League steals leader Shay guildas Alexander and rim protector Chad hren Oklahoma City now adds all defensive second team pick Caruso who finished second behind herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans among perimeter players in the voting so that goes into you know the defensive side of Alex crus and what he brings now going more into this deeper dive into what he is a first team pi the year before kuso is the rare guard uh whose defensive impact matches up with the League’s best interior Defenders Caruso leads all players in the three-year version of luck adjusted uh RPM from uh Naru which attempts to isolate an individual’s impact on defensive rating while adjusting for teammates opponents and shot making variants of the next eight players in this metric seven are big man if kuso replaces Gideon the Thunder starting five it’s hard to find a weakness for opponents to hunt that would leave Jaylen Williams a solid individual Defender in his own right as Oklahoma City’s only starter or perhaps more importantly finisher who did not receive all defensive votes similar to the formula the Celtics road to the title this is what really stands out to me that is what really kind of stands out to me we we saw the success that Boston had going on and we kind of had the same situation I’m not going to say it’s the exact same but it’s very similar to what they were doing they had a key Duo that they were going to ride for years to come in uh Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum they know that we kind of have that figured out now but instead it’s a trio and they had that with Marcus Smart as well all right they had this little Trio going on but really it’s more of a Duo and then they might try to make it a trio with either Chris stops or Derek white one of those two guys and so now we’re going to try and replicate that same thing by going out there and trading for lowbudget I say low budget contract friendly role players that can actually impact a team and play like All-Star guys when they’re surrounded by the right people that’s what happened with Derek white everyone was saying he was an All-Star even though years prior no one really considered him to even be close to that level but now he was surrounded by this team to where people kind of forget how good of a player he is because they’re so worried about these other two stars on this team that lead them and it kind of shows him like oh man now this guy’s going to go out there and average you 18 points a game as well and be great defensively it’s the same thing that the did that we’re trying to replicate because we saw how well it worked out but the big thing that stands out to me about this the huge and ginormous thing is the fact that we’re still going to have space to go after a big name free agent this offseason when I say big name sure there are you know opportunities to go get Paul George but this is what it kind of tells me better yet kuso’s bargain 9.89 million salary in the final season of his contract somehow just 3 million guaranteed through June 30th doesn’t take much out of Oklahoma City’s cap space the Thunder can still create nearly $30 million below the cap more than enough to make a run at a second tier free agent such as New York Nick Center Isaiah hartenstein so that is what really stands out to me I feel like this is like this is the reason we traded for cruso not because we needed an upgrade yes it is an upgrade at that position it is I feel like we do have a better player now as Cru who I believe finished ranked 60 uh second in the league you know the top 100 player voting I believe he ranked 62nd because of his defensive skills and his perimeter shooting it does it is an upgrade but however it’s the fact that we have so much freedom to do what we want in free agency now there’s a clear path of what we’re trying to do in free agency in the draft and that is to go after a big man there’s no more questions about okay are we going to sign a free agent and then draft a big man in hope they can have success instantly in the league oh are we going to trade for a big man and then you know go after another guy in free agency that’s a guard are we really going to try to add another guard to the team you know draft one like jarem McCain or someone along those levels now it is clear in the draft and free agency we’re going to go after a big man no there’s no no I’m not saying we’re no longer going to be trading with anyone there can still be a ton of Trades that happen I feel like presy has a trade hit up his sleeve on draft night that he’s going to pull out of nowhere I feel like that can definitely happen that he has one on draft night plan that we just don’t know about yet but it’s kind of clear now okay free agency a ton opens up here and I’m just going to show you some of the options that we can now use with this $30 million that we have in free agencies still to use all right when you look at the centers first all right there are some big names that I’m seeing here Jonas valunas n Nicholas Claxton Isaiah hartstein the usual guys that we’ve been talking about on this channel that can find a way onto the team and bring success to the Thunder they feel a glaring hole in need that we have in uh interior defense and rebounding all three of those guys then there’s some other guys I see there I’m like budget options that could do really well Off the Bench if we really want Caruso starting there are questions about his durability sure but he could be a starter on this team depending on who we get we can do a budget option and go get two bigs if we want we can go get a guy like I think we get uh Vagner and I think we could also get Drummond I feel like those are two good budget options for role players coming off the bench big man wise Drummond he’s we’re not going to be using him offensively he’s not going to be a starter we know that he’ll play 10 to 12 minutes a game but he’s purely in there for when we have a lack of size to go in there and be this big man that can fight on the boards that is what he’s used for however when I look at this list still the two main guys that we still need to go after and I feel like even when I’m going to show you the forwards here in a minute I feel like these are the two guys we are 100% should try to go after and Claxton and hartstein those are the two guys that should have all of our attention and focus now going into to the draft and the rest of the offseason now going into the rest of the list here with the forwards there are some huge names on here when you look at it you got LeBron James as a player option realistically that’s not happening guys go ahead and get rid of that dubias haris is going to be on a you know definitely a cheaper contract because he’s not the player that it used to be that could be an option if we really want to and go out there draft a big man and then sign a forward that is an option that is an option then you guys got guys like uh demard de rozan as well another guy OG that we’ve talked about a little bit I think he’s going to be a little bit you know too costly for us to go out there and get is the thing and then some other budget options down there as well when you’re looking here you know guys like Covington who’s always been decent in his career uh douge douge MC thunderbug if you guys remember him you know real one there Doug mcdermit PJ Tucker you know decent options at the four position we have some big names up there uh we’re also not going to be you know say the man’s name that shall not be said that ultimately did not pan out for us when we traded for him but as you can see there going back and forth between the forwards and centers here I feel like the centers should take up majority of our focus in free agency just because it’s going to be more likely we get one of them in CLA or hartstein I I believe this Caruso trade really opens it up and shows it to all these guys before free agency actually starts you know instead of you know where all teams can talk with all players now instead of the teams trying to retain the players that were on their team already before they hit free agency before they can talk to everyone else that can show to hartenstein Claxton some other people as well hey we are serious about bringing you on this team that’s why we went ahead traded for this guy so you don’t have lingering thoughts okay who else are you talking to in free agency cuz now it kind of shows in okay it comes down to claxon or hardenstein who says yes first and who’s going to be here on a cheaper deal which one works out better for us and that’s really like the truth behind this Caruso trade that’s what it’s all about it’s the show and free agency we mean business and we’re going to go out there at a big man in free agency and maybe even in the draft where we want to and that’s not the only move that’s what is really behind this whole Caruso trade pry has this whole kind of like vision board put up here in his office somewhere where he has everything planned out and methodically thought about it where he’s like yes this is going to happen and there’s going to be a domino effect this and that and that and Caruso was just the starting point all right it’s not a big overhaul of the Thunder because I feel like giddy will be the only player that is gone from the team last season I just think we’re going to keep on adding because now is the perfect time to before dub and CH are on these big contracts before Shay gets this you know record-breaking deal before L Dort eventually asks for more money as well because it’s just bound to happen we’re not loaded with cash we’re a small Market team it’s expected to happen but I do think kuso this trade is just the domino effect that’s going to fall because at the time of recording this video there was another W bomb Malik monk resigned a team I feel like he was also a guy that was waiting to see what the Thunder did and when he saw we traded for him he traded for Caruso he was like okay clearly he they’re not interested in me anymore so I’m going to go back to Sacramento like I mentioned there this Caruso tra just showed the two guys that are at the top of our list CLA and hartenstein that we are serious about going after them that is what this cruo trade really meant for the Thunder and the entirety of the league but let me let me know in the comments what you guys actually think that’s trade me if you guys think you know there are some other thoughts about it out there like oh this is actually why we traded for him or is it just because Koso is a better player than gidy it just you know made sense on paper to trade for him let me know down in the comments and I’ll see you guys in the next video

With fans, executives, and players now being able to process this trade, the real reason for the trade may have been revealed by Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Bryson Akins breaks down why this Caruso trade opens up a clear path of what the Thunder are going to do in the off season, and ultimately win the 2025 NBA Finals.

Thunder Digest covers the latest reports, news and rumors regarding the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you want to stay updated with every trade, move and tidbit on players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti.