The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a shocking trade over the summer, sending the former No. 6 Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for defensive ace Alex Caruso.

That trade came on the heels of a 57-win campaign, but a season that turned messy for Giddey as a misfit in the Thunder’s system that ultimately led to him being benched — snapping a streak of 218 games – in the team’s second-round series against Dallas. Mavericks.

Earlier in the offseason, the young guard entering a contract year rejected an intentional bench exit for the Thunder as one of the factors that led to the divorce.

Making a one-for-one trade with the Bulls to acquire Caruso was the best-case scenario for the Thunder, but also a win-win for all parties involved. The defensive ace gets to join a title contender, Giddey gets to stretch his legs with more chances on the ball and plays for a guard whisperer in bench boss Billy Donovan.

The two things that were evident from the moment the trade was announced: The Thunder are much improved in their title quest, and Giddey will be able to post monster counting stats for a middling Bulls team.

That couldn’t start the season, with Giddey averaging 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 turnovers while shooting 44 percent. on the floor, a career-best 44% from beyond the arc and 60% from the line.

On the other hand, Caruso is working on the offensive side finding his way to produce in the Thunder’s system as a scorer as he posted 2.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 actions per game , while shooting 27% from the ground. 16 percent from beyond the arc and just 0 for 1 at the charity stripe.

That’s not a concern for Thunder bench boss Mark Daigneault, who was asked about the newcomer on Monday before his outing against the Orlando Magic.

“Low sample is what I would say, and low volume is what I would say,” Daigneault said. “He didn’t make a ton of shots. It’s a low sample in terms of games and low volume. But his impact on the team was undeniable. I would expect his volume to increase as well as his efficiency. I’m not not at all worried about it.”

The calm approach for Daigneault is justified, the Thunder know Caruso is a career 37% 3-point shooter, including shooting 40% from the 3-point line a year ago. The Thunder have absolutely reaped the benefits from Caruso defensively especially this season.

Not only would Giddey not be able to replicate what Caruso does defensively overall, but this campaign the Thunder have had to lean on the former Bull to play four and five at times with Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Wiliams and Kenrich Williams on the shelf for to start year. While Giddey played the four in name only, Caruso is an effective option for Oklahoma City in a pinch.

Want to join the discussion? That Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.