Alex Caruso’s girlfriend, Haley Braucher, said she’s “excited for a new chapter to begin” after the Bulls traded the two-time All-Defensive Team guard to the Thunder on Thursday.
Chicago sent Caruso to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey, the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and Caruso was “one of the most coveted role players in the league,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Brocher shared his emotional farewell to the Bulls on his Instagram Story, reflecting on the couple’s time in Chicago.
“So many emotions all at once. So proud of this guy and so excited for the next journey,” Blucher wrote, adding the hashtag “thunderup.”
In another post, Blucher praised the Bulls organization and its staff.
“I just want to express how amazing the Bulls organization is, how hard everyone works behind the scenes and how grateful I am for all the friends I’ve made along the way,” she wrote, along with a photo of her making the Bulls gesture with her hands.
“I care about them all so much and will miss them so much when they are gone. I’m excited for the new chapter and grateful for the old one.”
It is unclear when Caruso and Blucher, who went public with their relationship on social media in 2022, began dating.
Caruso, 30, would add a veteran voice to a talented Thunder team that boasts one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.
He joins a young core that includes MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Chet Holmgren and first-round pick Jalen Williams.
The Thunder finished the regular season as the number one seed in the Western Conference but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Mavericks.
Caruso has developed into a solid two-way player since going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2016.
The Thunder signed Caruso to a training camp contract as an undrafted free agent after he joined the 76ers during NBA Summer League. He was waived prior to the start of the 2016-17 season.
There is some history between Caruso and Thunder head coach Mark Dainault.
Deinneault served as Caruso’s head coach with the Thunder’s development team, the Oklahoma City Blue, during the 2016-17 season, when the guard signed with the team after being released by OKC.
The 6-foot-5-inch player was named the NBA Hustle Award winner for the 2023-24 season.
In three seasons with the Bulls, Caruso averaged 7.8 points, 3.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
He won a championship with the Lakers alongside LeBron James during the 2020 season, which was played in the NBA bubble.
