Josh Giddey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Inquired On Young Point Guards Before Signing CP3

July 24th, 2024 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Before they signed future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year contract, the Spurs made several calls to teams around the NBA to inquire about the availability of younger point guards who have yet to enter their prime years, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Darius Garland of the Cavaliers and Andrew Nembhard of the Pacers were among the players the Spurs called about, Fischer reports. Cleveland has shown no interest in moving Garland and the Pacers presumably weren’t keen on trading Nembhard either — he has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Indiana that will make him ineligible to be dealt for six months.

Fischer also mentions Hawks star Trae Young and Josh Giddey – who was sent from the Thunder to the Bulls last month – as players who had San Antonio among their preferred destinations in the event of a trade. However, Young and Giddey now appear on track to open the 2024/25 season in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively, and Fischer doesn’t specify to what level the Spurs reciprocated either player’s interest.

While Paul will be Victor Wembanyama‘s primary pick-and-roll partner for the 2024/25 season, the Spurs figure to remain on the lookout for a player who can ideally fill that role for the next decade, Fischer writes.

No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is one candidate — he considers himself a point guard and San Antonio targeted the former UConn star for much of the pre-draft process, sources tell Yahoo Sports. However, as Fischer observes, Castle showed with the Huskies that he can thrive alongside another point guard, so even if they’re bullish on his NBA upside, the Spurs may not be prepared yet to pencil in the 19-year-old as the long-term answer at the position.

In addition to Paul and Castle, the Spurs also still have Tre Jones in the point guard mix. Jones is in the final year of his current contract and will reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

International Notes: Olympic Qualifiers, Robinson, Australia, Canada, Hayes-Davis

July 4th, 2024 at 9:28pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NBA superstars will match up this weekend in Greece as they look to keep their home countries’ Olympic hopes alive. The Greek national team, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, will take on Luka Doncic and the Slovenians in the semifinals of one of four ongoing Olympic qualifying tournaments (link via ESPN). The winner of Greece vs. Slovenia will go on to face the winner of Croatia vs. Dominican Republic for a spot in the men’s basketball Olympic tournament in Paris.

In total, four Olympic berths still remain up for grabs. The other semifinal matchups in Olympic qualifying tournaments around the globe are as follows:

Riga, Latvia:
- Latvia vs. Cameroon
- Brazil vs. Philippines
Valencia, Spain:
- Spain vs. Finland
- Bahamas vs. Lebanon
San Juan, Puerto Rico:
- Puerto Rico vs. Mexico
- Lithuania vs. Italy

While none of the other teams fighting for a spot in the Olympics has a perennial MVP candidate like Antetokounmpo or Doncic on its roster, there are many NBA players competing in the qualifying tournaments, including All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis for Lithuania and Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon representing the Bahamas.

Here are a few more updates from around the international basketball world:

Former NBA lottery pick Jerome Robinson has signed with Saint-Quentin in France, the team officially announced (via Twitter). Robinson, who was drafted 13th overall in 2018, has appeared in a total of 135 NBA regular season games, including 22 with Golden State last season while on a two-way contract with the Warriors.
The Australian national team has set its 12-man roster for the Olympics, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who notes that eight active NBA players – Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Dante Exum, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Dyson Daniels, Patty Mills, and Joe Ingles – made the cut, along with former NBA guard Matthew Dellavedova. Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle is the most surprising omission, Uluc adds.
Team Canada hasn’t set its Olympic roster yet, but pared it down a little on Wednesday, with Oshae Brissett among the cuts. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter links), Brissett – who is coming off a championship season as a Celtics reserve – asked to withdraw to focus on his NBA free agency. It looks like there are 10 NBA players who are safe bets to be on the Canadian squad, with two roster spots still up for grabs, as Lewenberg outlines in another tweet.
Nigel Hayes-Davis, the former NBA forward who is part of the U.S. Select Team and was rumored this spring to be drawing NBA interest, has re-upped with Fenerbahce, signing a three-year contract with the Turkish team, according to a press release.

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Giddey, Ball, Craig

June 27th, 2024 at 10:49am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls appear to be “open for business” following Wednesday night’s draft and could emerge as the NBA’s biggest wild card when free agency begins this weekend, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Reading between the lines of a post-draft press conference held by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, Mayberry suggests the organization may be recognizing the need to assemble to a younger and more athletic team.

That could mean parting with free agent DeMar DeRozan, possibly in a sign-and-trade, and taking the best deal they can find for Zach LaVine. Mayberry notes that Karnisovas sidestepped a question Wednesday night about the team’s commitment to keeping DeRozan.

“As I said also before, we’re going to look at everything,” he responded. “Everything is on the table. It’s still an option.”

DeRozan has been Chicago’s best player since joining the team in 2021, and he’s coming off another stellar season, averaging 24 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 79 games. However, he’ll turn 35 this summer and may not be a wise long-term investment for a team that’s trying to escape mediocrity.

Mayberry also points out that this would be a good time for the Bulls to consider rebuilding because their first-round pick in what’s viewed as a strong draft next year is top-10 protected. If it falls outside that range, it will convey to San Antonio as part of the sign-and-trade deal that brought DeRozan to Chicago.

There’s more on the Bulls:

Karnisovas defended the price he paid for Josh Giddey twice during his 17-minute meeting with reporters, Mayberry adds. Many observers were surprised that the Bulls didn’t receive any draft compensation when they acquired the 21-year-old guard from Oklahoma City last week in a one-for-one deal for Alex Caruso, one of the league’s best defensive guards. “Bringing a very talented guard that is an elite play-maker and rebounder with elite size, his game is predicated on making everyone better around him, those guys are hard to find and they’re not available,” Karnisovas said. “We were fortunate to get him. And it comes at a high price, which was A.C.”
Karnisovas said Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined with knee issues since January of 2022, is “moving along” in his recovery, per Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times. Ball has already picked up his $21.4MM player option for next season, which marks the final year of his contract. “We don’t know what he’s going to look like in a month or two, so we’re just going to take one step at a time, and hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp,” Karnisovas said.
The Bulls haven’t received any indication of whether Torrey Craig plans to exercise his $2.8MM player option for next season, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The veteran forward has until Saturday to make his decision.

Bulls Notes: Giddey, LaVine, DeRozan, Waters, Draft, Williams

June 25th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Bulls guard Josh Giddey said that both he and Thunder executive Sam Presti agreed it was best for him to be traded rather than accepting a second-unit role, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes.

“Obviously, I came off a tough year. My role shifted a little bit,” Giddey said. “I was playing a lot more off ball and a role different from what I’ve done in my career. So there were no secrets it was going to take some flexibility from my part to kind of fit in with the team that we had and the structure that we had and the type of players that we had. And he spoke to me about looking at potential different roles, coming off the bench, running the second unit. And 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. And he completely understood.”

Giddey was swapped out for Alex Caruso. League sources tell Johnson that the Knicks and Kings both made offers featuring draft capital for Caruso but Oklahoma City opted to take the hard-nosed Caruso in a one-for-one deal. The Bulls envision Giddey as their starting point guard, though he said his role has yet to be defined.

“My job is just to make the game easy for everybody else. Come in and make sure guys are getting easy looks, guys are comfortable on the floor,” he said. “When you’re a point guard and you can get other people around you going and making them involved in the game and getting them feeling good early, it opens the game up for everybody. That’s how I see myself, making basketball easy for my teammates around me.”

We have more on the Bulls:

While it’s well-documented the team is shopping Zach LaVine, who has three years left on his contract, his shooting ability and scoring efficiency could be a strong fit alongside Giddey, Johnson opines. However, the relationship between the team and LaVine, who is still recovering from foot surgery, would have to be repaired.
The team would prefer to resolve a possible trade of LaVine before trying to re-sign DeMar DeRozan, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (hat tip to RealGM). There reportedly has been little traction in talks between the Bulls and DeRozan, who will be an unrestricted free agent if those negotiations fizzle.
Eric Waters will be the team’s new director of health and performance, Johnson tweets. Waters served as a Bulls assistant trainer from 2000-04 and head athletic trainer for the Wizards (2004-16) and Jazz (2017-22).
The Bulls have held conversations to both move up and back in the draft, Johnson reports. Chicago currently holds the No. 11 pick.
In the same story, Johnson reports that several rival executives are under the impression the Bulls will either re-sign or match an offer sheet presented to restricted free agent Patrick Williams. The team has extended a qualifying offer to Williams, making him a restricted free agent.

Northwest Notes: Caruso, Giddey, Jazz Draft, Smith

June 22nd, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Tristan Tucker

After issuing a candid statement on the one-for-one swap of Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso within a press release, Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke to reporters on Friday to further explain the move.

“The opportunity to add Caruso is really unique,” Presti said, per The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez. “Fortunately, everything lined up. If we couldn’t get the return that we wanted or the player that we wanted, we’d be in a different situation. But it worked out for everybody.”

Presti added that he’s sure Giddey would have returned and played in a bench role if the opportunity to acquire Caruso didn’t pan out. Although he praised Giddey, it was clear Presti was excited about the opportunity to add one of the league’s top guard defenders in Caruso.

“People often times look at height when they talk about wing players,” Presti said. “We look at effectiveness. His effectiveness on bigger wing players is extraordinary. … We’d rather someone who’s effective against those players than is ineffective but as tall.”

Caruso will join a Thunder team that ranked toward the middle of the pack in points allowed but registered a top-four defensive rating and ranked first in steals and blocks.

“The data on him is extremely high class,” Presti said. “It’s just another versatile player. … It’s all about the team [for Caruso]. It’s all about the technicalities and the curiosity about his own game and what it is he does well. He’s a colossal competitor, and we want to have as many of those guys as we can in the building.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Caruso, who played for the Oklahoma City Blue from 2016-17 under coach Mark Daigneault, is returning to Oklahoma City at the right time, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes in a subscriber-only piece. Caruso averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks last season while shooting 40.8% from three. He’ll look to help a Thunder team that finished first in the Western Conference this season get over the hump in the postseason.
The Jazz have an opportunity to bolster their roster with the Nos. 10, 29 and 32 picks in the 2024 draft, and they need to consider prospects who can shoot, defend or have a high feel for the game, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. In Larsen’s view, Utah should aim to take Colorado’s Cody Williams at No. 10, Kansas’s Johnny Furphy at No. 29 and Virginia’s Ryan Dunn at No. 32, if possible.
The Nuggets, who hold the No. 28 pick in Wednesday’s draft, are hosting G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith for a workout on Friday, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. The 6’11” big man averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 36.0% from three on 3.7 attempts last season.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Atkinson, Bulls, Sixers, Knicks, Hawks

June 21st, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After previously reporting that James Borrego was viewed as the frontrunner for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job, Marc Stein says (via Twitter) he heard multiple times on Friday that Kenny Atkinson‘s candidacy for the job is “gaining steam.”

Atkinson was identified early in the Cavs’ search process as the potential frontrunner, but multiple reporters – including Stein and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com – have said in recent weeks that Borrego appeared to have the edge. Those two former head coaches have been linked to the job most frequently and it certainly seems like one of them will end up being hired, but that’s not a lock. According to Stein, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori also remains in the mix for Cleveland.

If the Cavaliers wrap up their search and make a decision soon, it will have an impact on their division rivals in Detroit. Both Borrego and Nori are expected to interview for the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Bulls‘ acquisition of Josh Giddey signals that the team isn’t sold on the idea of a Lonzo Ball comeback, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who adds that director of player development and shooting coach Peter Patton has an “important project on his hands” in Chicago’s new lead guard, a career 31.0% three-point shooter. In his own look at the trade, Jon Greenberg of The Athletic contends that it’s “inexcusable” for the Bulls to make this kind of deal without acquiring any draft picks.
USC guard Isaiah Collier visited the Sixers this week for a pre-draft workout, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Once considered a possible top pick in this year’s draft, Collier has slipped to No. 23 on ESPN’s big board, so he could be available for Philadelphia at No. 16.
Yongxi Cui (China), David Jones (Memphis), Spencer Jones (Stanford), Ajay Mitchell (UCSB), and Antonio Reeves (Kentucky) were among the players to work out for the Knicks on Friday, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy adds (via Twitter) that Arizona’s Keshad Johnson worked out for New York earlier this month.
The Hawks are hiring Ben Peterson away from the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and will make him their VP of player health and performance, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Pelissero’s report on Peterson, who was said to be “well-regarded” in San Francisco, has been confirmed by Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Thunder Trade Josh Giddey To Bulls For Alex Caruso

June 21st, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have officially traded Josh Giddey to the Bulls for Alex Caruso, the two teams confirmed in press releases. Our full trade breakdown from Thursday can be found here.

While Chicago’s statement doesn’t have any quotes from the front office, Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti was remarkably transparent, at least from his perspective, about how and why the trade transpired.

“We want to thank Josh for his many contributions to our team and know he will capitalize on the opportunities before him in Chicago.

“When we drafted Josh in 2021 he was an essential aspect of our vision for the next iteration of the Thunder. Since then, our team has evolved rapidly and dynamically in ways we could never have anticipated. Therefore, as we began our internal discussions this offseason, it was determined that bringing Josh off the bench next season was our best option to maximize his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes.

“As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard to for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere. As always was the case, Josh demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the discussions. Josh has All-Star potential, but accessing that in the current construct of the Thunder would not be optimal for the collective. Based on these discussions we decided to move forward and prioritize what was best for the organization.

“Alex Caruso is a player we have always highly valued and followed. He is the quintessential Thunder player; he is an exceptional competitor and teammate with a multi-dimensional skillset. His presence and game will help elevate the core of our team as we continue to strive to build a sustainably elite program in Oklahoma City. Alex is a player that began his professional career with the Thunder/Blue and the opportunity to add him was something we felt would truly enhance our team and culture. We could not be more excited to see Alex in Thunder blue (again).”

A former sixth overall pick who is still only 21 years old, Giddey was brought off the bench for the first time in his career during the Thunder’s second-round series vs. Dallas due to shooting and defensive struggles. The Australian guard/forward, who is a very talented rebounder and passer, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension with Chicago this offseason.

Caruso, meanwhile, has become one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, earning All-Defensive team nods each of the past two seasons. He’s also a more accomplished shooter than Giddey, with superior accuracy (38.0% vs. 31.0%) from three-point range during his career. The 30-year-old is headed for unrestricted free agency in 2025 if he doesn’t sign an extension before the 2024/25 campaign ends.

Bulls, Thunder To Swap Alex Caruso, Josh Giddey

June 20th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls and Thunder have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, with guard Josh Giddey heading to Chicago, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The deal isn’t official yet, but it sounds like it will be a straight-up, one-for-one swap. It won’t include any draft compensation, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman and Marc Stein (Twitter links)

Caruso, one of the NBA’s best point-of-attack defenders, has earned All-Defensive nods and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old has also developed into a reliable three-point shooter, making 40.8% of his 4.7 attempts per game in 2023/24 to push his career rate to 38.0%.

In 71 total games for the Bulls last season, Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest, with a .468/.408/.760 shooting line. He’ll add even more defensive firepower to a Thunder team that ranked fourth in defensive rating (111.0) in ’23/24 and also features lockdown defenders like Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace.

The Bulls had resisted trade offers for Caruso in recent years, but decided to part with him as he enters the final year of his current contract. He’ll earn $9.89MM in 2024/25 and will be extension-eligible beginning in July, though he won’t become eligible for his maximum extension (four years, $78MM+) until six months after the trade.

If he doesn’t sign a new contract with Oklahoma City at some point during the coming league year, Caruso will reach unrestricted free agency next summer. However, Wojnarowski (Twitter links) reports that the Thunder had pursued the veteran guard for a while and are making the deal with an eye toward keeping him long-term.

As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer points out (via Twitter), it will be a reunion for Oklahoma City and Caruso, who played for the OKC Blue in the G League under Mark Daigneault in 2016/17.

Giddey, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, started all 210 regular season games he played for the Thunder over the past three seasons and showed intriguing upside as a play-maker during that time. His best season came in 2022/23, when he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on .482/.325/.731 shooting.

However, Giddey took a step back in ’23/24, averaging a career-low 12.3 PPG and 4.8 APG as his playing time dipped from 31.1 MPG to 25.1 MPG. While he improved his three-point percentage to 33.7%, he remained inconsistent from beyond the arc, resulting in opposing defenses sagging off of him. That led to the Thunder eventually moving him to the second unit for the first time in his career during the team’s second-round playoff series vs. Dallas.

Giddey was also the subject of investigations by the NBA and local police due to allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, but both the league and police closed their investigations into that matter due to a lack of corroborating evidence.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Bulls had been “determined” to find a play-maker capable of replacing Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined due to knee problems since January of 2022 and is entering the final year of his contract. There’s optimism in Chicago that Giddey, still just 21 years old, will have a clearer path to realizing his full potential in a situation where he has the ball in his hands more often — he often ceded ball-handling duties to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City.

The deal will save the Bulls a little money in 2024/25, with Giddey set to earn $8.35MM in the final year of his rookie contract. The difference between that figure and Caruso’s isn’t massive, but could end up being significant, given that Chicago’s team salary could approach or surpass the luxury tax line this offseason.

Like Caruso, Giddey will be extension-eligible with his new team. The Bulls will have until the day before the start of the regular season to negotiate a rookie scale extension with their new lead guard. If they don’t come to terms by that point, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2025.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), this will be the first time the Bulls have made a trade involving a player since August 2021. It sounds like it probably won’t be the last deal the team makes this summer, with Zach LaVine and Ball said to be among the other trade candidates to watch.

Bulls Have Discussed LaVine With Kings, Jazz, Magic, Sixers

June 20th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls have been active in trade discussions heading into the 2024 NBA draft and free agency, reports K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to exploring moving up and down from the 11th pick, Chicago has also discussed players already on the roster as well.

Sources tell Johnson that head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has “floated as many as 15” trade proposals involving Zach LaVine. The Kings, Jazz, Magic and Sixers are among the teams Chicago has called about LaVine, according to Johnson.

As Johnson observes, the Bulls will almost certainly need to trim salary to avoid the luxury tax in 2024/25 if they intend to re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams. DeRozan, who is extension-eligible through June 30, will be an unrestricted free agent, while Williams is restricted.

Johnson reported earlier this month that Chicago’s asking price for LaVine has significantly dropped compared to last year, when they were seeking real assets in return for the 29-year-old. It seems the Bulls are now more focused on finding a way to shed LaVine’s pricey salary — he’s owed $138MM over the next three seasons, including a $49MM player option in 2026/27.

A two-time All-Star, LaVine was limited to just 25 games this past season due to a nagging foot injury, which eventually required season-ending surgery.

To this point, the Bulls have been focused on offering DeRozan short-term deals, Johnson writes. While there’s been “widespread speculation” that the Thunder, Pistons and Hornets may put out offer sheets for Williams, Johnson hears the Bulls are comfortable with their position since they have the right to match any contract the former No. 4 overall pick might receive.

Johnson also mentions Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso as names to watch on the trade market. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski just reported that Caruso is being sent to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey.

As for the lottery pick, Johnson cites Providence’s Devin Carter, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, G League Ignite’s Ron Holland and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski as potential targets, though the Bulls have gotten a close look at a “wide range of prospects.”

Thunder Notes: Hartenstein, Claxton, Collins, Joe, Wiggins, Giddey, Williams

June 16th, 2024 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

Following a breakthrough year in which they earned the top seed in the West, the Thunder are in position to address their most glaring need by adding another big man in free agency, writes Keith Smith of Spotrac. Oklahoma City can clear roughly $35MM in cap space, mostly by renouncing the rights to free agent forward Gordon Hayward.

Smith points to Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein and Nets center Nic Claxton as two ideal targets. Hartenstein can contribute on both ends of the court, and he may be easier to obtain because New York is limited in what it can offer. With Early Bird rights on Hartenstein, the Knicks can give him roughly $72.5MM over four years, a figure that OKC can easily top. Claxton would add a shot-blocking element to the team’s already-strong defense, but he’s limited offensively and Brooklyn may be willing to pay whatever it takes to keep him.

Smith lists a few other options if the Thunder decide to pursue a forward rather than a center, such as Pascal Siakam, Patrick Williams, OG Anunoby and Paul George.

If general manager Sam Presti prefers a trade, Smith suggests Jazz big man John Collins, who will make $26.6MM in each of the next two seasons and can be acquired via cap space with about $8.5MM left over. Smith notes that Collins’ contract will expire before OKC has to start handing out extensions to its young players.

There’s more from Oklahoma City:

The Thunder will likely pick up their $2.2MM option on Isaiah Joe for next season with an eye toward a possible extension, Smith adds in the same piece. Smith also expects the team to keep Aaron Wiggins, either by exercising its $2MM team option and trying to sign him to an extension or turning down the option and hoping to reach a new deal with him as a restricted free agent. Smith sees Lindy Waters III on the “roster bubble,” while the team’s other free agents likely won’t return.
There’s a growing perception that Josh Giddey will be traded this summer, but Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman contends the Australian swingman’s struggles were exaggerated. Even though Giddey was benched in the playoffs and saw his minutes reduced during the regular season, Mussatto notes that he has improved his three-point shooting, having gone from 26.3% as a rookie to 33.7% this season. Mussatto also cautions that it might be too early to make a long-term decision on Giddey, who has another year left on his rookie contract and won’t turn 22 until October.
Chet Holmgren‘s return from injury cut into Jaylin Williams‘ playing time, but Williams still showed he can be an effective big man in the Thunder’s system, Mussatto adds in a separate story.