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The start of the NBA season is just a couple of months away, and the Chicago Bulls and Josh Giddey have still not reached a contract agreement. The expectation is for the two parties to get something done soon, but so far, they haven't seen eye to eye. As the contract saga continues, there are reportedly some other teams across the league that have shown interest in Giddey. However, the Bulls are not engaging in any sign-and-trade discussions.
Obviously, the Bulls don't have all the say here. Josh Giddey has to agree to what Chicago wants to do, but it is clear that the Bulls do not want to lose their star.
“Will Giddey sign the qualifying offer?” Jake Fischer said in a report. “That is his threat. That is his leverage right now over the Chicago Bulls. Chicago doesn't want to lose Josh Giddey at all,” said Fischer. “They've been telling other teams, they've been telling agents since the combine, that they are not interested in having any discussion whatsoever with Josh Giddey. They value Josh Giddey.”
It has been evident from the start how much the Bulls value Giddey. They took a risk to get him after turning down what seemed like better offers, but Giddey's play at the end of the last season showed why Chicago liked him so much.
“They traded Alex Caruso straight up for Josh Giddey when they had offers from various teams over the years for multiple first-round picks for Alex Caruso,” Fischer added. “That's how much they value Josh Giddey. They see him as a major focal point of their roster moving forward. But they are not going to engage in any sign-and-trade scenario, and they're not really going to move off their offer. So this is a holding pattern.”
ClutchPoints' own Brett Siegel has been in the loop regarding the ongoing Josh Giddey saga, and while there are teams interested in him, the Golden State Warriors are not a team going after him. Jonathan Kuminga has been mentioned as a potential trade target for the Bulls, but there have no sign-and-trade discussions between the two teams.
“Although interest from other teams may exist, the Warriors are not actively pursuing Giddey this offseason, team sources from both organizations confirmed,” Siegel said. “The Bulls have not held sign-and-trade talks with the Dubs regarding Giddey and Kuminga, a scenario that would be very difficult for both teams to solve financially.”
Right now, it sounds like Giddey is just trying to get as much money as possible from the Bulls.
“When asking around over the weekend and trying to connect the dots between the Bulls and Warriors, front office personnel and rival agents all came to the same conclusion: this is a means of Giddey's side trying to increase the price one last time, rather than there being legitimate movement on something outside of Chicago,” Siegel continued. “The Bulls are not trading Giddey whatsoever, and they want him back.”
These contract negotiations have lasted longer than expected, but it does seem like Josh Giddey and the Bulls will reach an agreement soon.
