Josh Giddey’s fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder – and whether his future belongs at the franchise – has become a talking point in the NBA this season.
The Thunder have surged to the top of the West standings behind the rise of superstar MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and emergence of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren as arguably the NBA’s most exciting young core that arrived ahead of its time.
Though Mark Daigneault’s side looks every bit a contender, there’s a view it’s still a move or two away from away from being a true playoff threat against some of the league’s most experienced teams.
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Giddey, taking more of a back seat this season while the aforementioned SGA-Williams-Holmgren trio have blossomed as the clear foundation the team will build around moving forward, has posed a question of whether the Aussie could at some stage be traded.
Yahoo Sports Senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer revealed last month he expected opposition teams to make calls to the Thunder regarding Giddey ahead of the trade deadline, pending the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into claims Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
“Before the social-media accusations that Giddey had an improper relationship with a minor, other front offices were beginning to pinpoint Giddey as a quiet trade possibility, this being his third season without improving into a viable 3-point shooter next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Fischer wrote.
Though it couldn’t be ruled out (this is the NBA, of course), a Giddey trade before the February 9 trade deadline feels unlikely. There’s always a groundswell of rumours surrounding a big name – including teams interested – before they’re moved, and that’s yet to materialise despite some noise.
Plus, the league is yet to conclude its probe into the Giddey off-court allegations despite the California police not making any charges. Until the case is closed, it’s hard to see another team acquiring him, and it inherently lowers Giddey’s trade value.
OKC however has a bigger picture call to make soon.
Giddey, 21, in his third NBA campaign, is eligible for a contract extension next off-season, while he can become a free agent in 2025.
With that would clearly come a bigger payday from his current deal, which is why the Thunder must now decide if they’re married to Giddey long-term, or if a different piece makes more sense.
There’s two ways to look at it.
For one, the Thunder have invested a lot into Giddey including taking him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
He was given every opportunity in his first two seasons on a rebuilding OKC side, featuring prominently alongside Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt what felt like a long-term pairing.
It resulted in the Aussie playmaker exceeding expectations, producing some incredible performances where he broke several records as one of the most well-rounded and versatile guards – standing 6-foot-8 – to come into the league.
If Giddey was capable of such displays at just 19 and 20 years of age, the sky was the ceiling for the young gun. And so the idea of moving a player with so much potential feels crazy and one the team could seriously regret.
But the NBA moves fast … very fast.
In year three, not only has Giddey struggled to really evolve his game – in particular the outside shot (averaging 0.9 threes at 33 per cent efficiency) – his numbers have in fact gone backwards in his worst season yet despite the team’s rise.
He’s currently averaging career-lows in points per game (11.5), rebounds (4.8), assists (4.6) and minutes (24.8), with Daigneault at times opting for other players ahead of him down the stretch of games.
Given Gilgeous-Alexander is such a ball-dominant player – and demands such high usage as one of the most dominant offensive players in the game – Giddey’s inability to develop his outside stroke has made the pair’s fit clunky.
If that can’t improve, it’s hard to see how Giddey would be a worthwhile investment for the Thunder long term. That aside, Giddey also hasn’t been efficient enough or as aggressive as he could be with the ball and has at times appeared to lack confidence.
And while Williams and Holmgren have seamlessly stepped into larger roles and made meaningful contributions to OKC winning games, Giddey has sort of gotten lost in the mix.
In Giddey’s first couple of seasons, the Thunder were prepared for growing pains, with player development a clear priority. But OKC is now in win-now mode, already have their superstar centrepiece in Gilgeous-Alexander and would be looking to surround him with the right pieces to help it win a championship.
It crucially comes with the backdrop of the franchise sitting on an unprecedented mountain of draft picks it could cash in on at any moment when it thinks the team is ready to compete title, and when the right star becomes available.
General manager Sam Presti has been happy to play the waiting game and let the Thunder’s exciting young core continue to gel together, with the current iteration still yet to make the playoffs.
Suddenly though, the urgency levels have risen considerably for Presti to make a move.
“The fit of Josh Giddey is a frequent topic of conversation around the league,” Yahoo Sports journalist Ben Rohrbach wrote.
“He is a 6-foot-8 playmaker, and those do not grow on trees, but he is not a 3-and-D wing (although his 3-point accuracy and defence are improving). There are deals to be made that could benefit both the team trading for Giddey and the Thunder, who can package the 21-year-old with however many first-round draft picks it takes to improve.”
Suggesting Giddey mightn’t belong on a budding Thunder team ready to compete isn’t necessarily a knock on his game, it’s more about ensuring he’s in the best possible place to flourish, and ultimately, what’s best for his career.
And when Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are all clearly untouchables, Giddey is the one OKC could be prepared to dangle – along with its draft capital – that would clearly intrigue other teams looking to add long-term assets.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor argued it’d be in both Giddey and the Thunder’s best interests for a trade, suggesting the team should move the Aussie for a big.
“Giddey is the trade piece. Simple as that. They have to trade Giddey for a big. They need a big next to Chet Holmgren in the front court,” O’Connor told The Mismatch podcast in November.
“I like Giddey a lot. It’s nothing against him individually as a player. It’s about the greater good of the team and probably the greater good for the team too. It’s not a great fit for him.
“It’s year three (for Giddey), that contract extension is coming up very, very soon for Giddey. I don’t think the fit is great and I worry about his jump shot.
“Sometimes to win championships you’ve got to move pieces that you love for pieces that make more sense for you and then you fall in love with those pieces too. That’s what team building is.
“I think with Giddey he’s a great young player who is going to have a long, successful career but it might not be in Oklahoma City.
“If they did make him available they could probably get something really, really good in return that makes more sense next to SGA and Chet.”
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So even if a move isn’t imminent, which teams could be surveying the situation?
The San Antonio Spurs could be an ideal fit given the franchise’s need for an upgrade at point guard, having experimented with Jeremy Sochan in the role this season. Giddey could be a nice running partner for Victor Wembanyama to put the French phenom in the better spots and maximise the team’s size, plus the Aussie fits the teams rebuilding timeline.
The New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz are also in need of a true playmaker, and though Giddey clearly isn’t on the same level as James Harden, we’ve seen the impact a true floor general can have on a team with the 10-time All-Star’s move to the LA Clippers.
The Chicago Bulls are another potential team to watch as they weigh up which direction they take. Having under achieved, the Bulls appear to be open for business – Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are reportedly on the trade table, and even Nikola Vucevic, who’d appear to the Thunder to shore up their big man stocks, could be on the table.
Given many believe the Thunder should target Nets big man Nic Claxton, Brooklyn, one of many teams on trade watch, also naturally becomes a potential landing spot, which would see Giddey join forces with fellow Aussie Ben Simmons (though that feels like a clunky pairing).
Other rebuilding teams in development mode like the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons could be on the radar considering they’d immediately put Giddey in a larger role and give him a bigger opportunity to shine.
Ultimately, you’d expect the Thunder wait it out on the trade front and see how far this team can go this season before rushing into any Giddey move, even if it makes sense right now.
Though the goalposts have shifted on the team’s timeline, Presti, one of the NBA’s most shrewd general managers, wouldn’t make a big move unless it was clearly the right one for the team’s direction. The same goes for the Thunder trading away their surplus of picks.
Again, this is the NBA though, and stranger things have happened.
