The Bulls‘ have increased their offer to restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey since they reportedly proposed a four-year deal worth $20MM annually the start of free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link). However, it remains well below the price that Giddey and his camp are reportedly seeking.
“He was offered four years, $80 million when free agency started,” Marks said. “That number has gone up to four years, $88MM.”
As Marks points out, that $22MM-per-year figure would be at the low end of the spectrum for starting point guards. Giddey’s representatives have reportedly been seeking $30MM annually since they discussed a potential rookie scale extension with the Bulls last fall. While Giddey may not ultimately get that sort of commitment from Chicago, Marks believes the team should be willing to further increase its offer if it views the 22-year-old as an important long-term building block.
“If you think that he’s your point guard of the future, then you sign him to what point guard money is,” Marks said. “And I’m not saying you sign him to Immanuel Quickley money at $32.5MM (per year) or five years, $160MM. But you sign him in that $26-28MM (per year range) and you do it for three years or four years. And if it’s four years, $100MM or four years, $110MM, it’s still good value going forward.”
Some sort of resolution is expected within the next few weeks for Giddey and the Bulls, since training camps open by the end of the month and October 1 is the deadline for a restricted free agent to accept his qualifying offer.
Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:
- While the exact terms are unclear, veteran forward Trey Lyles has an NBA out clause in his new deal with Real Madrid that “ensures he retains flexibility should an opportunity arise to return during the 2025/26 season,” Grant Afseth writes for RG.org. Before agreeing to sign a one-year contract reportedly worth $3MM with the Spanish club, Lyles drew interest from the Heat, Kings, and other EuroLeague teams, including Fenerbahce, sources tell Afseth.
- Speaking of Fenerbahce, the Turkish club has signed former North Carolina standout Armando Bacot to a one-year contract, according to a press release. Bacot, who inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies and then played for the Memphis Hustle last season after going undrafted out of UNC, will be paid more than $1MM on his deal with Fenerbahce, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link).
- Although Danilo Gallinari has stated his intention to retire from the Italian national team after this year’s EuroBasket tournament, the longtime NBA forward is leaving his options open when it comes to extending his professional career beyond this summer, as Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops relays. “I said anything is possible,” Gallinari replied when asked about the possibility of playing in the EuroLeague again. “I’m not thinking about anything. I didn’t think about anything yet. I didn’t make any plans, so we’ll see.” The 37-year-old, who has made 777 career regular season appearances, recently expressed some interest in the idea of joining an NBA team as a veteran leader.
They saw Cam Thomas accept the QO and got shook.
Josh come to Bklyn ……. Freak the Bulls. They will love you there. A real PG..
Real lol
The Bulls gave Williams 90 million dollars and are crying about giving Giddey at least 25 million a year for 4 years? C’mon give me a break. Just goes to show how far they’ll go to try and prove Williams isn’t a bust. However the fact is he is and he will never be any good. Stop throwing good money after bad and start spending it on somebody who can play. WAKE UP!
5/90 is a lot different than 4/100 in the new CBA. They already regret the 4/90.
Suppose Giddey now is what he is for the next 4 years… not at all worth 4/100. And you’ll have trouble moving him. No one wants Pat Will at 18
Giddey has plenty of upside left. Bulls are (wrongly) overcorrecting for their PWill mistake.
Bulls management as usual…
You should have included quotes from that same video of Marks’ embarrassing soft-playing of the Clippers’ alleged circumvention. The poor man was visibly boot-licking the network and league to keep his job.
I take Giddey over Quickley and Suggs. Both are overpaid imo. There is no reason why Bulls can’t give him a 3 year deal 25, 25, 30 mill with a TO. This haggling over a few mill a year. Is going to work against Bulls. Giddey would be easy to trade. If they wanted to go in another direction. Giddey should just sign the QO and leave. This is even worse than Kuminga case. At least Warriors can say he hasn’t really progressed like we expected. Giddey was a triple double guy second half of season. There will be plenty takers for him.