The Bulls and restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey are having “good dialogue” during the first week of free agency, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
However, according to Cowley, Giddey’s camp is “dug in” on matching the contract extension Jalen Suggs signed with Orlando last fall.
Reports since October have continually cited an asking price of $30MM annually from Giddey and his reps. Several of 2024’s top rookie scale extension candidates were seeking that same per-year salary at the time, and Suggs and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson ended up at exactly that figure, signing five-year deals worth $150MM apiece.
Giddey didn’t do anything to hurt his case for a big payday in 2024/25. After an up-and-down start as he got acclimated to his new NBA home, the 22-year-old had a huge second half, posting averages of 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals with a shooting line of .500/.457/.809 in his final 19 games, 12 of which were Bulls victories.
Giddey’s full-season averages were 14.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.2 SPG on .465/.378/.781 shooting. Several of those marks, including the three-point percentage, were career highs.
Still, while Giddey had a strong first season in Chicago and looks like the Bulls’ point guard of the future, he and several of the other top restricted free agents on the market may have a hard time maximizing their earnings this summer with so little cap room available around the league. With no other potential suitors in position to realistically get up to the neighborhood of $30MM per year for Giddey, the Bulls have a good amount of leverage and can afford to be patient.
The Bulls’ front office may also be wary of bidding against itself for Giddey after completing a five-year, $90MM deal with former lottery pick Patrick Williams when he was coming off his rookie contract last summer. Chicago reached that agreement before free agency even opened, then saw Williams’ production take a step backwards in the first year of the contract.
Please Bulls stay patient. Wait it out. Bulls have all the leverage. Please don’t sign anything more than 4 years and $100 million. Anything less than that would be a huge win for the franchise and would help make up for the horrible contract situation that Patrick Williams has.
And what if he’s the real deal? In that case, you would want him for all 5 years. If he’s a proper star and can be a player of Cunningham’s calibre, but you can have him on 30 mil per, as opposed to Cade’s 53mil, then you’d be in a very good position financially.
He made it look easy in the last 20 games he played. Some might call him soft, but usually it’s the best players who make the game look easy. He even said it in the recent interview that he tried to stay away from being around the rim too much, not to injure his ankles, as he knew he was about to sign a contract. Getting 10.7 rebs a game as a guard who’s playing tentatively, that’s impressive.
3-5 years from now, 30 million is what average role players will be making.
Para que un jugador se le pague eso deberia mostrar dos años seguidos teniendo buenos numeros para confiar en el
El Queso es viejo y podrido Donde esta el sanaterio?
@Josh65 En la NBA, no. Aquí, juegas una buena temporada, o incluso media temporada, y te pagan. Sobre todo si el tío es un high lottery pick con proyección, como Giddey.
Hola Peter. Es correcto lo que escribes. Pero estoy de acuerdo con el comentario de Josh65: DEBERÍA existir una ‘regla’. misma que nunca ocurrirá.
Stats accumulated during the last 20 games of the season, when half the league is actively tanking and playing G-leaguers, are almost worthless.
Paying Giddey $30M per is committing the Bulls org to the play in for the next 3 years.
“Stats accumulated during the last 20 games of the season, when half the league is actively tanking and playing G-leaguers,”
And the other half is actively fighting for playoff spots and seeding. Discount it all you want but over the last 25 games, Giddey had 20.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 8.1 apg on .491/.451/.801 splits. His season numbers were very good as well and he’s only just turning 23. Failing to lock him in because they previously made a bad decision on Patrick Williams. . .now *that* would commit the Bulls to the play-in, if they’re lucky.
I was watching the wild ending – when it happened – against the Lakers on NBAtv. That shot he nailed over Brawny Sensation (‘BS’ for short)….. from HALF COURT….besides maybe Jerry West(?), who DOES something like that?! Giddey was EEE-LECTRIC down the stretch. He’s young. He could be the face of the franchise for the next decade. Pay the man.
He really played well the 2nd half of the season.
The last 20 games of the season should never be what you base your decisions on.
What he did post allstar break is what the numbers in the article are from. If you take the entire 41 games 2nd half of the season, he put up 17.9 ppg 8.8 rpg and 7.7 apg with .493/.429/.801 splits.
Clearly better than Suggs (by a LOT) and fully comparable to Johnson who only played 36 games before his season ending injury.
@PeanutGallery: Guess you missed this part: “His season numbers were very good as well and he’s only just turning 23.”
IF they start it high to low 25 to 30 M a year is very very nominal imo to the negotiations considering where Chi’s cap sheet currently sits . Much different sitch than GSW/Kuminga
If I was Chi Id give the 30 (frontloaded AAV) in favor of a 5th year team option –
Giddey would actually get more than 30 AAV here over 4 years guaranteed -Abouts 126, then Chi would have a 5th yr option around 24M a potential steal in 2030
Idk, its been awhile since that front office has done anything smart tho lately. That be my hope tho
They can offer three or five year deals.
Quickley contract contract is what’s driving the market ….
Now that you’ve said that. I hope he walks. Chumps make 30 mil in this league. Feels weird to type it. But two bums just left Chicago making similar money. Pay the man. Unless you know he’s guilty of something.
I want Kate Beckinsale to knock on my front door and walk in and lay down on my bed but I should have as much chance of that happening as Giddey does of getting 30 million a year. But then again, We are talking about the Bulls here so Giddey’s odds go up to 50/50.
Instead of 5/$150, the Bulls will wait 3 mo. and sign a pissed off Giddey for 5/$145.
He is a RFA…no team has cap space like that. Bulls would be bidding against themselves.
Its like you might hurt yourself long term with players refusing to work out for you, or FA avoiding you if you leverage a player into a contract thats disrespectfully low. Like Giddy for 4/40M, but otherwise these guys have no leverage.
What has Giddey done to deserve a big contract?
The team that traded him just won a championship.
What does OKC being a stacked team have to do with Giddey’s performance?
Them becoming a better team without him?
What are you talking about. Winning is not important, stats are. /s
He’s played much better than Suggs and Quickley, both of which got max extensions at $30 mil/yr plus.
Uhh you screwed up. The dude is a triple double threat every night. Hardly anyone fills up the stat sheet like he does when he’s hot. He deserves 30 mil. Kuminga doesn’t.
Giddey does have some leverage. He can take the one deal with the bulls and become a non restricted free agents next year.
Terrible leverage and Stupid option to take QO
Financial Disadvantage
Limited Security
Become a bench guy, less minutes, less stats
They had $ to throw around last year and F’d up. Should’ve never given Williams a contract
He ain’t Suggs or Jalen Johnson. I wouldn’t pay him as much as either of those two players.
You’re so right, he’s way better than Suggs.
Ha! He could be better if he played some D.
Giddey’s offensive superiority counters Suggs’ defensive superiority.
Suggs is made of glass and trash. What are you talking about??
Suggs has had injury trouble no doubt. I guess I just think in today’s NBA you need to play both sides of the ball to be on a championship team. Suggs does, as does Jalen Johnson. Giddey only plays offense. Doesn’t mean you have to be great on both sides of the ball, but you have to bring something to table. Giddey doesn’t even get in a stance. He stands strait up and doesn’t move his feet. If you are a leader on the team you have to put in the effort even if you are not that talented of a defender. If you don’t want to be a leader , then you shouldn’t get paid like a leader. That’s my point.
Agreed. But you know how it is with popcorn stats guys with little D. People fall in love with the numbers and overpay them without bothering to consider how much they actually would impact winning. Fine in the regular season and end up getting exposed in the playoffs. We’ve seen this movie a thousand times before.
Granted, Giddey did become a better shooter this past season and his 2nd half play was a step up. And at least he has the size to be a better defender. He could very well be a player who is worth more than $30mm one day. But would I want to pay him that much now based on a relatively small sample size of strong performance against softer competition, and with no one able to bid against me? No. I could probably do something in the 25mm+ range but not 30mm+.
Giddey is not “a bad defender”. First of all, basketball is not American football: here, the play is continuous, the possessions change in open play, and the same group of players that play in possession play without it. So different rules apply. Every player in basketball is a 2-way player by default. It’s just that some are better than the others.
– Giddey is an excellent rebounder. Rebounding is extremely important and valuable in basketball. It’s already hard to call a superb rebounder “a bad defender”. Even if the rebounds are “easy”, they still have to be collected. Indiana lost too many games during regular season by not rebounding well on their glass, and made it more difficult for themselves and lost a game too many against NY in the playoffs, when the shot would go up, Siakam, Nembhard, Turner were standing under the basket with no opponents in the paint, but OG would make 3 steps from the wing, grab a rebound that was supposed to be “easy” for Indiana, and hurt them. Even if the rebound is “easy”, it still needs to be grabbed. And Giddey doesn’t only collect “easy” rebounds, as seen by his offensive rebounds: he’s among the 2 best backcourt players in the league in that area, tied with Josh Hart;
– Giddey is not small, that’s already a good start and prevents him from being picked on, a luxury many backcourt players don’t have. We often see how offense for teams just narrows down to getting a switch on the smallest guy, and it works. But it won’t work with Giddey, and players like Luka, who evidently have an easier time playing against smaller guards than against bigger guys with forward bodies, will have to come up with a different plan;
– Giddey has a decent positioning inside the arc, and is good with his hands. He’s not Amen Thompson and not prime Ben Simmons, but he’s useful. He does occasionally block a shot when a smaller guard or wing pulls up for a jumper in the paint, he gets blocks around the rim as he’s tall. And he does get a steal or two a game, mostly inside the arc, in the passing lanes. You don’t want Giddey on the perimeter or hounding opponents when they are bringing the ball up the court, but that’s on the coach. Put Giddey where he’s most useful.
I would compare Giddey to Santi Aldama. A big body for his position, not particularly gifted defensively and physically, doesn’t have the reflexes of a mongoose, but is quite competent with his positioning on the court, and a positive overall;
– Giddey has very good counting stats for steals and blocks. Now, I know that defense is not about counting stats, but it’s better to average 0.8 blocks, like Giddey did late in the season, than 0.2 like Randle (and don’t get me wrong, Randle is a good player, we saw it in the playoffs). Having counting stats shows that Giddey is engaged. His time at OKC did him good;
– Another thing that can work against a player in defense is lazy fouls and just fouling too much in general. Giddey is a very clean player – he has a very good rebounds/foul, steals/foul and blocks/foul ratios. So while some players might look like they’re putting in more effort, they are also fouling a lot more, which affects their efficiency negatively. A good comparison in this case is again Aldama, who doesn’t foul, never gives away lazy fouls, and does enough to make it more difficult for the opponent. JJJ is on the other end of the spectrum. Yes, he defends well, be he fouls way too much, and that’s a real problem in his game. Giddey doesn’t have that problem, and it’s very good. If you can’t as a defender do stuff that makes your team better, at least don’t do what hurts;
– Giddey started drawing more fouls and had a very good FTA/FGA ratio late in the season. Even unimpressive defenders like Austin Reaves often have good defensive ratings because they draw fouls, which allows their team to settle and prevents easy buckets against them early in the clock. Giddey had 5.4 FTA late in the season. That’s not quite Jimmy Butler numbers, but still very good and a big boost to the team when they are out of possession;
So overall, while Josh Giddey isn’t and will never be Amen Thompson, he’s far from being a passenger on the defensive end, and does many things that make his team harder to score against. And many of the things he does are key to some players’ play styles, like Butler, who are known as big playoff performers.
You’re right about JJ, but Giddey is way better than Suggs.
The smart way to use leverage is on the margins for a good deal done quickly. Over leveraging a position almost always comes back to haunt in a competitive market.
If 30 mm a year is a reasonable number (and its at least close), and he’s important to the franchise going forward, then use it as the baseline for a deal. It’s stupid to squeeze him just because you can, to make up for Williams or create some uber team friendly deal (with some very unfriendly under currents).
The comments here are wild. Look, Giddey is a good player, and really talented offensive player, but offers little in the way of defense outside of grabbing some boards (which is not nothing to be fair). I don’t know that he’s worth 30 mil annually, but he’s not going to get that in this market regardless. That said, if he signs for just one year, and wants to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, there will be more teams, presumably, with cap space to lay some more attractive offers down. It would be easy to see him having another fine season.
I mean he’s a bad defender but at least he offers size for the position.
depends on which stat you’re using to evaluate him. For example, defensive win shares – Giddey is at 2.5, Suggs 1.8
he’s also 61st in defence rating, he’s in the 90th percentile in both stats
“Playing defense” is a particular topic. Alex Sarr “played defense”, had blocks and stuff, but was an absolute net negative out of possession.
Grabbing rebounds is a big deal. There’s a reason why all advanced stats love guys who grab rebounds so much. Also, simply not being small and not being a target is already a good start. Many backcourt players don’t have that luxury. And Giddey is a positive presence inside his own paint, IMO. He’s not prime Ben Simmons, sure, but a positive.
Also, he increased his drawn fouls/goal attempts ratio, especially in that final stretch, and that’s a big deal. Even the most unimpressive defenders like Austin Reaves often have good advanced defensive stats because they draw fouls, which allows their team to settle and prevents easy buckets against them early in the clock.
Giddey had 5.4 FTA per game in that final stretch, which is probably the best development in his game. He had 1 FTA per 2.5 FGAs, which is almost SGA’s ratio. On a lower volume, obviously.
You are right. With his size, he can guard most Positions. Its tougher to Single him out as a liability than a 6.0 guard
I think it all comes down to context-
Bulls have about 105 M in cap next year minus whatever they pay Giddey
Okoro 12
Tre-8
PWill-18
JSmith-9
Buzzlis -6
Noa- 6
Less than 60 M under contract guaranteed
Cap next year 165
Giddeys agent has the juice here
In like GSW where the number is bumping into an apron JK’s number is going to be hard for his agent to juice. GSW HAS to apply a squeeze here if at all possible for anything they can
lol Suggs isn’t worth 30m, he shouldn’t be Giddey’s blueprint but the horror scenario that prevents Bulls from making the same mistake.
But Orlando is good (when healthy, which admittedly is not always the case), and the bulls are not. I would much rather be in Orlando’s position than Chicago’s.
Only issue in his game is consistency (and defense to an extent). The Williams contract was idiotic to begin with, so hesitating because of it is the next idiotic thing to do. Right now he’s the star player on that team. For $30M it seems to be a bargain these days.
Would love to see a sign and trade Giddey to Sacramento and fill that point guard hole they have. Chicago can then play Coby at his preferred spot at the 1 and then bring in a Malik Monk plus a first or something like that
Quickley and Suggs have set the market. Giddey isn’t worth less than them. If Bulls aren’t sure give him a three year deal. Then you can still move him. Like Rockets did Green …..
“ In 2024-25, Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He had a particularly strong second half of the season, averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.”
Giddey has the potential to be a triple double threat. And has positional size as a true PG. At 22 he still has upside. Imo he is better than Quickley. But Quickley is overpaid. If I really want him. I give him 5 yrs 150 mill. If not sure I give him 3 yrs 80 mill.
Quickley signed for 5yr — 175 mill
Suggs signed for 5yr — 150.5 mill
If I was Nets I sign him for 5yrs 150 mill.
Only CHI can give Giddey 5 years. BKN can only do a 4 year offer sheet. IMO, if they’re not doing an offer sheet for at least 140 mm over 4 years, they shouldn’t bother (because less than that in years or dollars, CHI will match it before it gets there).
4 yrs 120 mill ok. Make Chicago match. Giddey can steady the ship till young guys start growing up. Then they can keep him or move him. Seems to me Bulls are low balling him.
5 at 140 seems ok. Like the article says the rest of the lottery picks from his draft class are getting about 150 over 5. I think they might be able to do better considering no else will outbid them but I think he’s the best option for the bulls rn and they should aim for 5 years.
I’m wondering about the Suns waiving Beal and stretching his contract so they could offer Giddey something. ;)
Give him 90m/4yr plus 30m diddles kids clause where if he dates only non-minors, he gets 30m more over the life of his contract.
I’d call it an “unlikely incentive”. So no cap hit.
You rerunning that failed narrative is stupid. He was cleared by law enforcement.
“After a thorough and exhaustive examination, we have completed our investigation into information that was circulating on social media involving Josh Giddey,” the statement read. “Our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey.”
link to espn.com
Is Miles Bridges your favorite player?
No. Have you decided to get some mental health therapy for your dating minors issue?
we should have a stupidity clause in the comments section
People lovin’ Giddey. Not sure I get it, but hey what do I care he ain’t on my team. Love who you love.
He wants $30M and Coby White wants $40M annually next season when he is a free agent