While the internet and the basketball world have plenty of news to cover on the Josh Giddey and the TikTok girl controversy, ‘Liv Cook,’ the Oklahoma City Thunder must be looking at the bigger picture and the franchise’s future with the alleged star. Although the Thunder has not yet issued a comment on the matter, some social media pages purport to have released him.
Head coach Mark Daigneault has recognized the Oklahoma City Thunder swingman as a vital asset for his varied skills, providing help across numerous game aspects. Even though the squad is on a six-game winning streak, others criticize Giddey for still needing development.
Josh Giddey from the OKC thunder with an under-age girl. First video he is talking to her brother. This is Disgusting and this man needs to be punished. We can’t let this go under the surface any longer. This needs to be seen. Girl is a junior in high school. pic.twitter.com/gj1LaxRaM0
— ☀️ (@wstgoat7) November 23, 2023
But that doesn’t mean Giddey isn’t a good player. He proved how excellent he can be as his team’s starting guard throughout the World Cup. Leading Australia’s offense, he averaged 19.4 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Josh Giddey’s trade talks were active even before his recent controversy
Sam Presti, general manager of Thunder, has said in the past that he has assets to trade for a star, but the timing wasn’t right. Before Josh’s most recent headlines surfaced, reports indicated that the OKC had him on their radar. Since Giddey is still on his rookie contract, other players would need to be included to make the trade financially feasible for OKC or other NBA teams that are interested.
In a few years, the Thunder will have to make decisions about spending since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already committed to a max contract, and Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are both headed toward max contracts. And now that his team has reason enough to finally release him, it’s almost confirmed that he is going to be traded sooner rather than later.
Will Josh Giddey get traded soon?
Before unverified off-court whispers started making the rounds lately, there were hints that Giddey might be the young player who was eventually leaving Oklahoma City. Although there have been many reports of him already being out of the Thunder, there has not been one that can be trusted, as the allegations against him are still not proven.
In January 2024, it was revealed that Giddey will not be facing any charges because of the rumors. According to the Oklahoman, the NBPD statement claimed that the authorities were not able to identify any criminal activity from the OKC star.