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4 NBA Teams Emerge as Suitors For Josh Giddey Trade With Thunder

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Josh Giddey’s time with the Oklahoma City Thunder is coming to an end.

Although OKC experienced arguably the second-best season in franchise History in 2024, the team was ultimately booted in the second round of the NBA playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks.

Giddey, specifically, was borderline unplayable throughout most of that matchup. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was forced to bench him in favor of Isaiah Joe, and in doing so seemed to have shown why Oklahoma City can’t proceed with Giddey beyond this year.

Off the court, Giddey also struggled mightily when he was involved a tawdry Scandal. The videos of him and a young woman that emerged as a result of that were deeply humiliating for all parties involved. The way the girl’s family responded and the way Giddey’s family responded also left sour tastes in people’s mouths.

It got so bad at one point that Giddey’s own teaMMAtes were distancing themselves from him.

All that being said, Giddey is still only 21 years old. While he lacks the complete game to be a starting point guard for a top-level NBA team, he is definitely a capable reserve.

Four teams have quietly emerged over the past few weeks as legitimate suitors for his services.

The first logical landing spot for Giddey is the Washington Wizards. Tyus Jones is almost certainly on his way out, and Giddey could slide comfortably into his place.

With no pressure to perform at a high level or win, Giddey’s stat-padding game could work well in D.C. His assist numbers would also likely rise dramatically next to the likes of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma.

The San Antonio Spurs are another team to watch. This is a group that totally lacked any semblance of a normal point guard for most of the year. While Giddey is undeniably flawed as a floor general, he is still better than anyone currently on San Antonio’s roster in that capacity.

The Los Angeles Lakers are also worth keeping an eye on. Defensively there are enough pieces on the roster to cover up Giddey’s deficiencies on that end. Offensively, he would bring some freshness to a second unit that desperately needs it.

Finally, don’t sleep on the Boston Celtics. This is a group that could use another playmaker on the second unit – and Giddey fits that bill to a tee.

Josh Giddey Hopes To Remain With Thunder

While all signs point to the Thunder not wanting to extend Giddey long-term, he definitely wants to remain with the organization. In fact, he said as much during his exit interview this week.

“Yeah, I love it here,” he said of Oklahoma City.

“This is a home away from home. I love everything about this place, the city, the fans. The organization top to bottom is just unbelievable people throughout the building, and getting to come here to work every day is a lot of fun. It doesn’t feel like work.

“Every time I wake up in the morning, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to see the guys,” he continued.

“Even through times throughout the year where maybe it was dark days, maybe things weren’t going great, getting to come in here every day and see my teammates made everything better.”

Clearly, Giddey wants to remain in Oklahoma City for the long haul.

Does the Thunder’s front office ultimately feel the same way about him, though? Time will tell.

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