While it was just rumors and speculation, two-time all defensive guard Alex Caruso had been rumored as a potential trade target for the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. Now, Caruso is being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason’s first blockbuster trade. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell trade just minutes ago that sends Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey.

Here is what else Wojnarowski had to say about the trade:

“The trade delivers the Thunder one of the league’s most coveted role players, a 30-year old guard who GM Sam Presti has long pursued for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Caruso’s arrival could be seen as an addition comparable to the Golden State Warriors acquisition of Andre Iguodala in 2013. Both were 30 years old.

The Bulls have been determined to find a playmaker to replace Lonzo Ball, and Giddey , 21, comes with an All-Star potential that would unlikely be realized with the Thunder because of the playmaking starpower who surrounded him. The Bulls will offer him an opportunity to have the ball in his hands and so much more freedom pass and score.

Caruso is entering the final year of his deal and becomes eligible for a four-year, approximately $80M extension exactly six months from the date of this trade. The Thunder made the trade with the hope to have Caruso as an integral player for the long-term.”

This is obviously massive news across the league, as it gives the Thunder a huge piece to try and go win a championship this season while the Bulls get a young player in return. While there were no real reports linking Caruso to the Hawks, it was easy to see him as a potential fit next to Trae Young, as a point-of-attack defender (something Atlanta sorely needs) and a good three-point shooter. Caruso could make a weak defense better, but now he will hope to make a really good defense the best in the league.

Bleacher Report analyst Grant Hughes listed Caruso as the top “ambitious” trade candidate for the Hawks this offseason:

“The Atlanta Hawks seem likely to bust up the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt, but it’s unclear which of the two guards is likeliest to go. If it’s Murray who winds up leaving via trade, Atlanta should focus on supporting Young with the best defensive running mate possible.

That sounds like Alex Caruso, an All-Defensive honoree in each of the last two seasons.

Caruso’s current team, the Chicago Bulls, already have Coby White in place as their point guard. That means a Murray-for-Caruso swap wouldn’t make sense. Atlanta could send Murray to a destination in greater need of his services and reroute some of the assets to the Bulls in a package for the star stopper.

No guard who logged at least 25 games last season posted a higher Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus than Caruso, who rates as one of the rare backcourt players whose impact approaches that of the typically more valuable paint-protecting big man. His ability to disrupt at the point of attack, blow up screening actions and force opposing ball-handlers away from their spots can change the outcome of entire games.

Murray overlapped more than expected with Young, and the Hawks didn’t look nearly different enough after adding him at the 2023 trade deadline. Caruso would bring a more fundamental change to Atlanta’s makeup, adding an element of predatory defense that simply hasn’t been there.”

Now that Caruso is off the board, the Hawks will have to look elsewhere.