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The Chicago Bulls will begin their season with a question mark: Whether Josh Giddey will stay with the Bulls past this season. Giddey has one more year left on his contract and will be a restricted free agent during the 2025 offseason. ESPN insider Brian Windhorst shined a light on the talks between Giddey and the Bulls.
“There was never really any meaningful negotiations there,” said Windhorst on The Hoop Collective Podcast. “Which was a surprise to me. I thought the Bulls were going to be under some amount of pressure to get him done because they had traded Alex Caruso for him.”
The Bulls traded for Giddey in the offseason and sent Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the former Thunder guard didn't mesh on the court with his teammates, he still has an all-around game. The 6'5 combo guard is a great slasher, playmaker, and defender. He's also a great rebounder for his position, which is something quite rare nowadays.
The Bulls are also in a funky situation. Lonzo Ball is making his debut after missing two seasons with knee injuries. He and Giddey play the same position, in the same way. While Ball has been a consistent three-point shooter, it hasn't been the same for Giddey. His percentages have increased every season but it might not be enough for head coach Billy Donovan to keep him as a starter.
Will the Bulls extend Josh Giddey?
Giddey has a legitimate reason to be frustrated without a contract. For example, Immanuel Quickley signed with the Toronto Raptors on a five-year, $175 million deal while Jalen Suggs signed a five-year, $150.5 million extension. The market for guards is increasing. Both Quickley and Suggs are good for their teams but it's either they get a big deal or someone else will sign them for that amount of money.
The salary cap increasing every single year doesn't help. It also reminisces the 2015-16 season where the cap jumped by nearly $20 million. As the years have gone on, the cap continues to get larger, and more players sign for more money. Some are receiving north of four or five-year, $100 million after their rookie contracts regularly.
“They never got anywhere close from what I'm told,” Windhorst said about the Giddey negotiations. “That's certainly something to watch as this season plays out.”
Numerous players have played seasons on a “prove-it” type of deal. The upside for Giddey is that he's only in his fourth season and has room to grow. If he plays a similar role as he did in his first two seasons with the Thunder, Giddey might secure a nice contract for himself.
