"Warriors v. Mavs Xmas game": Alex Caruso hyped at prospect of Christmas skirmish between both teams after Klay Thompson move
Newly minted OKC Thunder guard Alex Caruso was amped up for a potential Christmas Day clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks. The face-off, if part of the fixtures this season, would see Thompson suit up for Dallas to play the team he played 13 seasons for.
The 4x NBA champion picked the Mavericks over the LA Lakers, inking a three-year, $50 million deal to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Caruso, who was one of the players keeping tabs on the ongoing free agency, took to Twitter (formerly X) to envision what a Christmas Day special would be like between the two teams.
Warriors v. Mavs Xmas game would be 🍿🍿🍿!!
Thompson's deal was part of a multi-team sign-and-trade that was official on Monday. The Mavericks traded away draft capital, sending their 2025 and 2031 second-round picks to Golden State, and also sent guard Josh Green to the Hornets.
Thompson's trade deal was the second blockbuster move this offseason after Paul George inked a four-year, $212 million deal to head East and link up with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Alex Caruso was one of the first major trades to go down this summer with the Chicago Bulls shipping the defense-first guard to the Thunder for Aussie PG Josh Giddey.
The New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings sought Alex Caruso's services before the OKC Thunder trade
The New York Knicks were one of the teams making a beeline for Alex Caruso. Per a league source talking to NBC Sports Chicago, the Knicks and the Sacramento Kings offered the Bulls draft picks to sweeten the deal for one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league. However, Chicago opted for a straightforward player-for-player swap.
The trade now sees Caruso return to Oklahoma where he started his pro career with the OKC Blue. In fact, the present Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, who led the Blue from 2014-19, coached Caruso during the 2016-17 season. Caruso was a vital cog in the LA Lakers unit that won the championship in 2020. He spent another season with the team before he was traded to the Bulls.
Now, he will bolster the OKC Thunder defense, which also added former Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein this free agency.