Showing on Podcast P With Paul George (video hyperlink), Thunder massive man Chet Holmgren admitted being “damage” when he heard concerning the June commerce that despatched Josh Giddey to the Bulls in change for Alex Caruso. Holmgren and Giddey have been excessive lottery picks by Oklahoma Metropolis in back-to-back years, and so they have been anticipating to be a part of the crew’s long-term basis.
“I used to be (expletive) damage after I noticed that Giddey wouldn’t be on our crew anymore,” Holmgren mentioned. “All of us rock with him. That’s our canine, nonetheless is. He’s gonna go do nice issues in Chicago, so we’re excited for him and we’re additionally excited to have AC on our crew now, too. Such as you mentioned, nice defender, he makes pictures, he at all times makes profitable performs, makes the correct performs. That’s the kind of dude you need to play with.”
Caruso, thought of one of many league’s greatest perimeter defenders, joins a Thunder crew that’s already proficient on that finish of the court docket. Giddey might thrive as soon as he’s given an opportunity to run the Bulls’ offense, however he struggled within the playoffs final season and was pulled from the beginning lineup within the second-round sequence towards Dallas attributable to considerations about his protection and outdoors taking pictures.
There’s extra from the Northwest Division:
- After two developmental years, Ousmane Dieng is hoping to earn a spot within the Thunder’s rotation, writes Nick Crain of Forbes. The group seen Dieng as a mission when it traded for him in the course of the 2022 draft. He has appeared in simply 72 NBA video games since then, however has proven enchancment within the G League and is recent off profitable MVP honors within the title recreation. Crain notes that as a result of Dieng has perimeter abilities to go together with his 6’10” body, he’s versatile sufficient to contribute to the Thunder at quite a lot of positions.
- Coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets‘ entrance workplace aren’t on the identical web page in the case of roster strikes, sources inform David Thorpe of TrueHoop. Thorpe has been listening to for 2 years a few “disconnect” because the group has misplaced Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from its 2023 championship roster. Malone has been left with a set of younger gamers to attempt to fill their roles.
- Walker Kessler doesn’t appear to be a part of the long-term future for the Jazz, observes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Sources verify to Pincus that Utah has explored trades involving Kessler, together with discussions with the Knicks in July. If the 23-year-old middle stays on the roster, the Jazz should resolve this fall whether or not to choose up his $4.9MM possibility for the 2025/26 season. Pincus’ feedback are included in a proposed three-team commerce involving the Pelicans and Nets that might ship Brandon Ingram to Utah.
