Josh Giddey elaborates on refusal to come off bench for Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Josh Giddey parted ways with each other after three seasons last week. The 21-year-old was shipped to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso.

The deal was sparked by Giddey’s unwillingness to come off the bench for this upcoming season in OKC. After he made that clear, Thunder general manager Sam Presti pivoted.

Giddey spoke more about his conversations with Presti in his introductory press conference with the Bulls. He said he’d rather get a fresh start elsewhere as a primary ball-handler in hopes of a massive extension.

“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.’ He completely understood. Throughout the whole process, we were open and honest with each other,” Giddey said. “.. He got it. We worked together through the whole process and he got me to a great spot.”

It was a rollercoaster season for Giddey. He went from a primary ball-handler in his first two seasons to an off-ball fourth scoring option. His lack of an outside shot made him a hindrance in the halfcourt. Opposing defenses sagged off him.

It reached a boiling point in the playoffs when Giddey was benched in the Thunder’s last two playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks. It would’ve been impractical to return from that decision next season.

“A lot of it came more with how good our team got and how much we evolved as a group,” Giddey said. “My role kinda — I don’t wanna say diminished — but it was kinda different to the first two years I had…

“It was more accredited to our team than anything. We just got good quickly. Those kinda things happened. My role changed a little bit and it was just a year of adjusting and learning different things.”

The fit between the Thunder and Giddey was more awkward than not this past season. He was passed on the totem pole, which took away his strengths.

It was difficult to imagine he’d sign a new deal with OKC this offseason because of that.

Now, both sides get fresh starts after a clean divorce. Giddey returns to being a lead playmaker and the Thunder get an easier fit with Caruso, who is one of the best 3-and-D players in the league.

“I want to be the pass-first point guard that I am,” Giddey said. “And help teammates generate easy looks and get good right from the get-go.”