ESPN: Thunder's Alex Caruso receives 3rd-most votes for biggest impact on new team

The 2024-25 regular season kicks off in less than two months, meaning rosters are mostly set for all 30 NBA teams.

ESPN conducted its annual “Summer Forcast” series. The exercise allows its media experts to give their opinions on some of the major storylines for next year.

Among the questions, a first-place vote receives five points, a second-place vote gets three points and a third-place vote gets one.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were mentioned in a couple of polls. They are viewed as a title contender following a first-seed finish last year and a productive offseason.

One specific move received a lot of praise from ESPN’s voters. The Thunder’s acquisition of Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls for Josh Giddey was seen as one of the biggest impact additions this offseason.

Caruso received the third-most votes at 31 points. Paul George and Mikal Bridges were the only players ahead of him in the final voting results.

The 30-year-old is a seamless fit with OKC’s starters. He’s a 3-and-D starter who will improve both sides of the floor. Caruso has been an All-Defensive member for the last two seasons.