Josh Giddey adjusted his shirt as he settled into his seat on Tuesday.

It read "Bulls" across the chest, representing a new home and a new chapter for the young guard.

After spending three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday in exchange for Alex Caruso. And on Tuesday, the 21-year-old guard held his introductory press conference.

"I'm very, very excited to be here in Chicago," Giddey said. "All first impressions have been unbelievable. The people have been great, and I feel very welcomed here."

A fresh start will be good for Giddey, who became the odd man out in OKC.

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The 6-foot-8 guard showed potential as a rookie on a rebuilding Thunder team in 2021. He dazzled with his flashy passes, stuffed the stat sheet with rebounds and ultimately earned a spot on the All-Rookie second team.

But as OKC rose to the No. 1 seed in the West this past season, Giddey's role trended in the opposite direction. MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found himself in the lead ball handler role while Giddey often found himself stranded on the perimeter, being dared to shoot by opposing defenses.

Giddey then got benched for the first time in his three-year career during OKC's playoff run to the Western Conference semifinals. He finished the postseason with averages of 8.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.1 minutes.

"You want to be a part of big games in the playoffs," Giddey said. "I've dreamt of that moment for so long. For it to end the way it did, it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth for a long time. It's tough to go into the summer with that as your last stint in the NBA for that season."

Then came an even tougher, but honest, series of conversations with general manager Sam Presti.

Presti laid out to Giddey how the team planned to have him come off the bench next season. And Giddey, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft just three years ago, wasn't on board.

"Just throughout the whole process, we were open and honest with each other," Giddey said. "I said to (Presti), look, coming off the bench at this point in my career, it's not something I'm trying to do and take a reserve role. He got it, we worked together through the whole process and he got me to a great spot."

Giddey said he was in his home country of Australia when the trade was announced on Thursday. He then came to Chicago on Sunday to meet with the team's front office, staff and head coach Billy Donovan.

More: Josh Giddey says farewell to OKC after trade by Thunder to Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso

Giddey also said he hasn't had discussions yet about what his role will be with the Bulls, but it figures to be larger than the one he held with the Thunder.

Chicago ranked 23rd in the NBA this past season in assists per game (25). And since Lonzo Ball's future with the team is reportedly in jeopardy due to injuries, Giddey will get to compete with fellow guards such as Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu to become the primary ball handler.

"I understand that the team that's here, there are a lot of good guards," Giddey said. "They've got a lot of guys who can handle the rock. The competition that we'll have throughout training camp and things like that to push each other and be better is going to be great. We'll see what happens when the season rolls around."

That desire to compete for a lead role is what Giddey wants at this point in his career.

And that's why, despite calling OKC a "class organization" on Tuesday, the young guard is eager to turn the page.

"It was going to be hard to tap into my full potential, in my opinion, on a team like that," Giddey said of OKC. "There were just so many talented guys who needed the ball in their hands and were great with the ball in their hands. A change of scenery was probably going to unlock more of that for me.

"I want to be the pass-first point guard that I am and help my teammates generate easy looks and get them feeling good right from the get-go."

More: Mussatto: With Josh Giddey traded to Bulls, Alex Caruso returns to Thunder at perfect time

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Josh Giddey 'very excited' for new role with Bulls after Thunder trade