SportsMoneyAre The Bulls Trying To Squeeze Josh Giddey On New Contract. Furthermore, ByMorten Stig Jensen, Contributor. Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.
Morten Stig Jensen covers a wide variety of subjects within the NBA.
Nevertheless, AuthorJul 18, 2025, 05:31am EDTMIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 08: Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball against Terry Rozier.
Conversely, More #2 of the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on March 08, 2025 in Miami, Florida (an important development).
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(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Getty Images As the calendar nears the end of July, the Chicago Bulls and Josh Giddey have yet to find resolution, although a deal is apparently expected to get done.
What the re reveals is does raise a two questions, that we need to be mindful of (which is quite significant). Nevertheless, However, Have the Bulls learned from prior mistakes.
Last offseason, Chicago negotiated against themselves in regards to Patrick Williams, the 6'8 forward who they took fourth overall in 2020.
However, The result was a five-year contract worth $90 million, with seemingly no one else involved in the bidding cess.
Additionally, With Giddey, the situation is very much the same, in this volatile climate.
No team has significant amounts of cap space to be considered a threat, and Giddey's as a restricted free agent only complicates matters as the Bulls have the right of first refusal to match any offer.
Meanwhile, Reportedly, the two sides are $10 million a part - per year, given the current landscape.
On the other hand, At the same time, This means, without a shadow of doubt, that the Bulls hold all the leverage in their handling of Giddey, and they should take full advantage.
While Giddey had a much better second half of the season than first, compiling several triple-doubles, it's a pattern we've seen throughout his career in regards to starting slow, and ramping up as the season moves on, given current economic conditions.
MORE FOR YOU The Bulls should rightfully be concerned that, just as they should be concerned the fact that Giddey's long-range shooting, sitting at 37.
8% for the year, was overwhelmingly a result of being left wide open most of the year.
75% of Giddey's three-point attempts were considered wide-open by NBA stats, which means a defender was at least six feet away from him on a shot attempt.
This leads us to the second question (noteworthy indeed). Are the Bulls planning to build around Giddey, considering recent developments.
If the recent news in the negotiation cycle is any indication, the Bulls view Giddey as a complementary player, and not the head of the snake, otherwise there'd be no hold-up.
Meanwhile, You pay up for guys who essentially are the team, amid market uncertainty.
At the same time, This isn't one if those situations, and if the Bulls understand that, it's cause for some level of optimism, in light of current trends.
Of course, given the lack of an otherwise franchise player, Bulls management might try to force Giddey into that role regardless, hoping he develops at a ridiculous rate, and thus becomes a bargain contract.
That’s optimistic on two fronts (fascinating analysis).
Conversely, The first being the fact that Giddey has shown no such capabilities over the course of last season, or his career (this bears monitoring).
There's literally nothing to suggest he'll become a player good enough to be the primary option on a playoff team. On the other hand, The second being future contracts.
If, against all odds, Giddey develops into a real franchise player, but he’s compensated in the area of $20-25 million per year, extending that contract will ve overwhelmingly challenging, due to the league's 140% veteran extension limit (quite telling).
Of course, that latter part isn't ly to become particularly relevant. It's a mere note to have in mind, if Giddey should make an unexpected leap.
On the other hand, All in all, the Bulls are - so far - playing this right, assuming they're trying to squeeze Giddey in both years and monetary value. We’ll see where they end up fairly soon.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA (something worth watching). However, Com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference, amid market uncertainty.
Additionally, All salary information via Spotrac, considering recent developments. Moreover, At the same time, All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, in this volatile climate.
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