Changes were coming.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made sure to promise that in his end-of-the-season interview back in April.
The first domino fell on Thursday, as Bulls public relations confirmed that defensive standout Alex Caruso was traded to an Oklahoma City organization that has pursued him for two seasons, sending play-making guard Josh Giddey to the Bulls in return.
“We will look for ways to improve and we will address our shortcomings through the draft, trades and free agency,” Karnisovas said back in April. “I take full responsibility, however, and recognize when changes need to be made, and I believe that time is now.”
Caruso was an All-Defensive player his last two seasons in Chicago, and with the Thunder feeling like they were a defensive stopper away from challenging in the Western Conference, they have now landed a key piece to solve that.
As for Giddey, 21, he comes with a lot of talent, but also several key holes in his game that were exposed in this last playoff run for OKC.