The Oklahoma City Thunder's trade for guard Alex Caruso was voted as the second-best acquisition of the NBA offseason in a recent ESPN poll.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps surveyed 18 coaches, scouts and executives who voted Caruso's arrival in Oklahoma City second behind the Philadelphia 76ers' signing of Paul George.

• Paul George signing with the 76ers: 6 votes
• Alex Caruso trade to the Thunder: 5
• Jalen Brunson extending with the Knicks: 3
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing with the Orlando Magic: 2
• Rob Dillingham drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves: 1
• Mikal Bridges traded by the Brooklyn Nets: 1

The Thunder acquired Caruso from the Bulls in June, sending back guard Josh Giddey. With Caruso heading into the final year of his contract, it was always expected that the Thunder would explore offering Caruso an extension.

He is eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $80 million on December 20. The timing of the deal allows Oklahoma City to see how Caruso meshed with its young roster. He will have two months to work out any potential kinks, but it would be a shock if he did not ink the extension in December.

While Caruso's numbers aren't typically the type to garner massive contracts, his defense makes him a special case. Caruso has made All-Defensive teams each of the last two seasons, emerging as one of the best lockdown guards in the NBA.

"I know I'm one of the best defenders in the league, whether it's recognized or not," Caruso said in March when talking about making All-Defensive teams. "It would be cool, obviously. And making first-team last year, I was pretty proud of that. I think having the respect of the guys I play against and the guys I battle against every night telling me that they enjoy playing against me because it's a challenge and it's competitive, that's just as important as having a first- or second-team All-Defense award."

The Thunder enter next season hopeful to take a leap into true title contention. They made the regular-season leap in 2023-24, earning the top seed in the Western Conference, but fell in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks.

Adding a steady veteran presence like Caruso to the natural progression of the team's young talent could be the thing that puts Oklahoma City over the edge.