Alex Caruso Steal Could Be What Puts the Thunder Over the Top

A trade for an undrafted player who has never averaged more than 10 points per game could prove critical to the NBA Finals. 

The wisdom of the Thunder’s decision to acquire Alex Caruso, a do-everything role player and defender, was on full display Sunday night as the 6-foot-5 guard dropped 20 points off the bench while playing stout defense against the Pacers in Oklahoma City’s Game 2 blowout win.

The Thunder getting Caruso from Chicago for Australian guard Josh Giddey isn’t a Luka Dončić-level heist. But Bulls president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas dealt Caruso without getting a single pick from the Thunder’s 16 future first-round picks through 2030 or prying away another prospect. Analysts largely viewed the trade as a steal for Sam Presti’s Thunder. Giddey had a solid season for the Bulls and averaged 14.6 points per game, but is on a team that is stuck in the play-in tournament. 

Undrafted out of Texas A&M, Caruso’s bald head and white headband make him look like a rec league star instead of an NBA one. But he’s made a niche of doing the dirty work, with deflections and loose balls. This season, Caruso’s 6.4 deflections per 36 minutes led the NBA among players who logged at least 500 minutes. The role has served him well. He has $42 million in career earnings and signed a four-year extension worth $81 million shortly after being traded to the Thunder. 

It’s the second year in a row a trade for a defensive stalwart could prove critical in deciding the title. The 2024 Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday from the Blazers for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and two future first-round draft picks—far more than the Thunder paid for Caruso, although Holiday is a multi-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist. But Celtics are likely to trade Holiday this summer due to their $500 million roster crunch, while the Thunder will be able to run it back with Caruso next year, comfortably under the luxury tax.