Bulls, Thunder Depth Chart, Salary Cap After Rumored Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey Trade

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired defensive-minded guard Alex Caruso on Thursday, sending former first-round pick Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls in return.

Caruso has established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, making the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024.

Following the move, Oklahoma City now has just over $173.3 million in total cap allocations while the Bulls have roughly $219.4 million in cap allocations (via Spotrac).

Here's a look at the current depth charts for the Thunder and the Bulls after the deal was made.

Chicago Bulls Projected Depth Chart

PG: Coby White, Josh Giddey, Lonzo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jevon Carter

SG: Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Josh Giddey, Dalen Terry, Onuralp Bitim

SF: Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Dalen Terry, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine

PF: DeMar DeRozan, Torrey Craig, Javonte Green, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry

C: Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond, Adama Sanogo

Oklahoma City Thunder Projected Depth Chart

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, Adam Flagler

SG: Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Lindy Waters III, Aaron Wiggins

SF: Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Gordon Hayward, Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso

PF: Jalen Williams, Kenrich Williams, Gordon Hayward, Ousmane Dieng, Aaron Wiggins

C: Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Mike Muscala, Bismack Biyombo

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Oklahoma City is now projected to have $31.5 million in cap space following the Caruso acquisition. Chicago is still above to cap after the deal, although the front office will have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.9 million and the bi-annual exception of $4.7 million in free agency (per Marks).

After the Thunder lost their second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks' star backcourt consisting of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, Caruso should help shore up head coach Mark Daigneault's point-of-attack defense.

The 30-year-old is coming off a strong year with Chicago, averaging a career-high 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He connected on 40.8 percent of his three-point attempts while recording 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks each night.

After the Bulls' win total has decreased in each season following their playoff appearance in 2022, the front office may be heading towards a youth-focused approach around Coby White following his breakout season.

Giddey is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game in 80 starts. He still struggled from behind the arc although he shot 47.5 percent from the field and hit a career-high 80.6 percent of his free throws.

With a large amount of cap space remaining, the Thunder should continue to have a busy offseason following the Caruso trade.