The Oklahoma City Thunder had a season to be proud of in 2023-24, earning the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference and taking the Dallas Mavericks to six games in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Now that their season is over, they need to look to tweak their roster, and the main candidate to be moved is Josh Giddey.
Giddey was borderline unplayable against the Mavs, and despite the fact he's been a starter since day one in his career, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault made a big adjustment in this series by sliding Giddey to the bench in favor of Isaiah Joe in Game 5 of this series. Giddey is known to struggle shooting the three-ball, but his inability to contribute in any other area of the game resulted in him hitting the bench, and in the process, it has thrown his future with the team up in the air.
Should the Thunder trade Giddey, the Washington Wizards are the betting favorites to land him, with +450 odds according to Bovada. Following closely behind the Wizards are the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz at +500.
The Thunder are ideal trade partners for multiple teams, as they feature a bevy of draft picks and young players with low-cost contracts that give them the flexibility to make significant moves.
The 22-year-old Giddey is under contract for one more season at $8,352,367. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists last season. Normally, a player at this age putting up stats like this would be someone that multiple teams would jump at the chance to obtain, but Giddey does come with some baggage.
Josh Giddey allegations clouded his season with the Thunder
He found himself facing allegations of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor after videos surfaced online. The NBA investigated the situation.
Giddey continued to play amid the allegations as the Thunder waited for the NBA's investigation to end. Amid the allegations, though, Giddey was often booed by fans during road games. Newport Police ended up launching an investigation, so NBA commissioner Adam Silver opted not to issue any possible suspension until the criminal investigation was completed.
The Newport Police Department ultimately closed the Josh Giddey investigation after they were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”
Undoubtedly, the issues will impact Giddey's value on the trade market. But the Wizards desperately need an infusion of talent and could be willing to take a shot on him. The Pelicans are looking at different options after determining that Brandon Ingram won't fit with Zion Williamson. And the Knicks could be looking to get off of Julius Randle's contract in an effort to bring in more role players.
Thunder eliminated by Mavericks to end amazing season
Despite the disappointment of being eliminated by Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the revamped Dallas Mavericks in a hard-fought Western Conference Semifinals, the Thunder are just getting started.
It wasn't even two weeks ago that the Thunder crushed the New Orleans Pelicans, earning a first-round sweep to become the youngest team ever to win a playoff series. The better side indeed won in the second round, but OKC nevertheless came within a last-second, controversial shooting foul on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of forcing a winner-take-all Game 7.
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