Bulls G Josh Giddey explains why he requested trade from Thunder

Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey confirmed Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti's recent comments about why the Australian was traded.

Giddey held an introductory news conference on Tuesday and told media members that he requested a move.

Presti released a statement on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Thunder sent the youngster to the Bulls in exchange for defensive stalwart Alex Caruso.

The GM said that as the team started its "internal discussions" for the offseason, "it was determined that bringing (Giddey) off the bench next season was (their) best option to maximize his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes."

"As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard to for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere. As always was the case, Josh demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the discussions," Presti said. "Josh has All-Star potential, but accessing that in the current construct of the Thunder would not be optimal for the collective. Based on these discussions we decided to move forward and prioritize what was best for the organization."

The former sixth overall pick was solid in his 2021-22 rookie season, posting 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and career highs in assists (6.4) and minutes per contest (31.5) across 54 games. Giddey won four consecutive Rookie of the Month honors from November 2021 to February 2022 and was named second-team All-Rookie.

He recorded career bests in scoring (16.6 points) and rebounding (7.9) per contest in 76 games in 2022-23 while notching four triple-doubles for the second straight year, but regressed this past season.

Giddey finished the 2023-24 campaign with career lows in points (12.3), rebounds (6.4), assists (4.8) and minutes per contest (25.1), and was even worse in the playoffs. He went for just 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per tilt over 10 games while coming off the bench twice, which was the first time he wasn't in the starting five in his NBA career.