Yahoo Sports

During his introductory press conference, Bulls guard Josh Giddey said his responsibility with his new team is to “make the game easy for everybody else.”

Advice: The writing was effectively on the wall for Giddey, as his role diminished during the postseason. His trade from Oklahoma City to Chicago was unsurprising, and the change of scenery may ensure the 2021 lottery pick has a marquee role moving forward. Giddey said Thunder brass wanted to move him into a backup role. While that may have increased usage, Giddey’s playing time likely would have decreased. “And I just said to [Thunder lead executive Sam Presti], at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something I was overly eager to do,” Giddey said on Tuesday. "(Presti) completely understood. Throughout the whole process, we were open and honest with each other. And I said to him, ‘Look, coming off the bench at this point in my career is not something I’m trying to do and take a reserve role.’ He got it. We worked together through the whole process. He got me to a great spot. I’m very, very excited to be here in Chicago.” Depending on what the Bulls roster looks like in the fall, the trade should raise Giddey’s fantasy ceiling after struggling with his role in Oklahoma City last season. Rotoworld Today, 2:11 pm

Barnes (hand) agreed Monday with the Raptors on a five-year maximum extension worth up to $270 million, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Advice: Keeping Barnes in the fold long term is a no-brainer for the Raptors, as the 22-year-old forward took a big leap forward during his third NBA season in 2023-24. Over his 60 appearances this past season, Barnes posted averages of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.7 three-pointers, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 34.9 minutes per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 78.1 percent from the free-throw line and 34.1 percent from three-point range. Each of those averages represented career highs, and the free-throw and three-point percentages were also personal bests for Barnes. Expect Barnes and the Raptors to finalize the extension at some point in the coming days. Barnes missed the final 22 games of the 2023-24 season after undergoing surgery on his left hand, but he's set for a healthy offseason and shouldn't have any restrictions by the time training camp gets underway in the fall. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:36 am

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder will trade Josh Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso.

Advice: The sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey’s fantasy ceiling sank considerably as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became one of the league’s best players, and 2022 lottery pick Jalen Williams emerged as a rising star. Playing in a career-high 80 games this past season, Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.0 3-pointers in 25.1 minutes. The scoring average decreased by more than four points per game compared to the 2022-23 output (16.5), and Giddey’s perimeter shooting struggles led him to lose minutes to players such as Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace during the postseason. The move to Chicago could be just what the doctor ordered for Giddey, especially if Lonzo Ball cannot return from his knee injury. The Bulls roster should result in Giddey having the ball in his hands more, even with Coby White stepping up as the starting point guard this season. Fantasy managers should not use a top 60 pick on Josh (Yahoo ADP in 2023-24: 58.9), but he has top 100 potential with this move. Rotoworld Thursday, 2:21 pm