Josh Giddey

Bulls Notes: Okoro, Vucevic, Williams, Dosunmu

Entering the preseason, it seemed obvious that Josh Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic would be part of the Bulls‘ starting lineup, but the fifth spot in that unit remained up for grabs. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required) wrote when she explored the topic earlier this week, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones all looked like candidates for the role.

Now that the Bulls’ preseason has wrapped up, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times believes Okoro is the frontrunner to be the team’s fifth starter, and head coach Billy Donovan acknowledged that he’d be comfortable having the newly added forward defending the opponent’s best perimeter player. However, Donovan also stressed that he doesn’t necessarily plan to lock in a lineup and rotation and stick with that group indefinitely.

“I’ve talked to these guys about it, and it’s not probably necessarily conventional just from the perspective of we’ve got to get out of the old-school NBA mindset of, ‘Here’s my rotation, here’s my guys that go in the game and here’s how many minutes they play,'” Donovan said. “I just don’t know if we’re going to be able to do that.

“Probably over 82 games, there will be a consistent group that starts, but maybe some nights we have to change the starting lineup. In my opinion, we have to change starting lineups based on who we’re playing and what the matchups look like for us.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • Although Vucevic will turn 35 next week and is entering the final year of his current contract, he’s not thinking about the end of his playing career at this point, as Poe relays for The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). “Retirement is not something that’s at all on my mind,” Vucevic said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it — as long, as much as I can.”
  • With the start of the season around the corner, Poe poses five questions facing the Bulls, including whether Buzelis is on an All-Star trajectory, whether White (calf strain) will be available for opening night, and how often the club will use a two-big lineup featuring Vucvic and Jalen Smith.
  • After a disappointing fifth year, expectations will be lower for former No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams as he enters his sixth NBA season, according to Cowley. However, the forward is feeling as healthy as he has in a while and will be focusing on producing more consistently for the Bulls, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Donovan, who said he believes Williams can still “carve out a really good niche for himself as an NBA player,” noted that he has seen growth from the 24-year-old but stressed the need for him to be able to string together several good games in a row. “As it relates to Patrick, his minutes and stuff like that, a lot of it will be how consistent he’s playing,” Donovan said. “If it’s not going well — for anybody — we may have to go with someone else.”
  • Dosunmu has played well in the preseason and appears well positioned for a strong contract year, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. For his part though, the fifth-year guard isn’t thinking about potential 2026 free agency or what an extension would look like, he recently told reporters. “My main focus is just taking it one day at a time, not worrying about next July or whenever it is, because that’s going to happen when it’s going to happen,” Dosunmu said. “Just stay in the moment.”

Bulls Notes: Giddey, White, Jones, Williams

While the negotiations dragged into September, Josh Giddey confirmed this week that his contract talks with the Bulls were never contentious, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Australian guard re-signed with the Bulls on a four-year, $100MM deal as a restricted free agent.

When you hit free agency — I was a restricted [free agent] — rumors will start to circulate, and I let my management and agent handle that side of things with the front office here,” Giddey said. “So I tried to stay out of it. When there was something to know, I knew. My agent would tell me. Other than that, there were never any bad feelings. It’s a negotiation, and that’s how it goes. It’s kind of the nature of the business.

When the season ended, I knew that was going to happen. . . . This is where I always wanted to be, and now I’m locked in for another four years.”

According to Cowley, Giddey said he’s relieved he won’t have to think about a new deal for multiple years.

Everyone wants to play for that second contract; it’s part of being an NBA player,” Giddey said. “You want to extend your career. I was no different. The fact that it’s locked in and I have four years where I don’t have to think about it is a pretty big weight off my shoulders because it was always kind of lingering.”

Here’s more from Chicago:

  • Due to the limitations of what they can offer, Coby White has reportedly informed the Bulls he isn’t going to sign an extension before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer. The 25-year-old guard said he’s focused on the present rather than the future, as Cowley relays. “I’m thinking about now and how I can help my team win and become better in every aspect of the game,” White said. “I’m blessed and fortunate to be in this situation, but I always say that I love being here, I love the front office, I love the relationship that I built with Coach (Billy Donovan), and me and my teammates are super close, so I’m enjoying every moment.”
  • Backup point guard Tre Jones was determined to return to the Bulls instead of exploring external options in free agency, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). “I definitely wanted to be back. I didn’t wanna think about going anywhere else,” said Jones, who re-signed with Chicago on a three-year, $24MM contract.
  • Sixth-year forward Patrick Williams lost weight and added lean muscle over the summer in an effort to improve his game, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. Williams wasn’t wasn’t pleased with his performance in ’24/25. “I need to be better,” he said of his offseason approach. 

Bulls Notes: Buzelis, White, Dosunmu, Jones, Expectations, Giddey

Bulls forward Matas Buzelis averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game while appearing in 80 contests as a rookie. He’s aiming for a major award this season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times.

“I want to win Most Improved Player this year,” Buzelis said. “That’s what I’m striving for. This is a team sport, and everything is about the team. The individual stuff will come if you win, so I’m worried about winning.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • Coby White‘s ability to play by the season opener is somewhat in doubt. Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas indicated that White will be limited in camp by a calf strain he suffered in August, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweets. “Hopefully, we can see him by end of preseason,” he said.
  • Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones are “back from injury and ready to play,” according to Karnisovas (Twitter link via Johnson). Dosunmu underwent shoulder surgery in March. Jones dealt with a left foot sprain late last season.
  • Isaac Okoro, acquired in the Lonzo Ball deal, was mainly used as a defensive stopper with Cleveland. He’ll look to do the same with his new team, according to Cowley. “At the end of the day, you look at every team in the NBA there are guys on winning teams that have to sacrifice,” Okoro said. “Everyone in this league wants to score 20, they probably can score 20. They’re coming from being the best player on their high school team, college team, but people have to make sacrifices. In Cleveland I played my role of guarding the best player on the other team, being the hustle guy, and I don’t mind that. At the end of the day I want to win, so if that’s sacrificing that’s the role that I will play.”
  • Karnisovas considers player development, rather than wins, as the primary goal in Chicago this season, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune writes. “This is the way we have to do it,” Karnišovas said. “We have to be patient. We have to do it the right way. We can’t skip steps. For this team next year, we’ve got to show growth.”
  • It took a while but restricted free agent Josh Giddey signed a four-year contract this month as a restricted free agent. He never believed he’d wind up elsewhere, according to Poe. “I never had any worries I wasn’t going to be here,” Giddey said. “This was where I wanted to be. They embraced me from day one when I first got here — teammates, front office, fans — and it felt like home really quickly. Right from the jump, I made sure my agent knew this is where I wanted to be. I want to be here long term.”

Central Notes: Pacers, Giannis, Giddey, Bulls, Pistons

The Pacers won’t have their star point guard and team leader Tyrese Haliburton available at all in 2025/26 while he recovers from an Achilles tear. However, that doesn’t mean the team views the coming season as a “gap year,” as Dustin Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star.

“I don’t think that’s ever been what we’ve been about,” general manager Chad Buchanan told reporters on Thursday. “With Mr. (Herb) Simon as our owner, it’s always been about trying to compete and trying to win. Some years are going to be more challenging than others. Obviously, we’re down Tyrese and that will make some challenges. But we’re not looking at this as a year to try and get through. We’d never wish away a season.”

The Pacers are widely expected to take a step backward without Haliburton after making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and NBA Finals in 2025. Oddsmakers view them as more likely to miss the playoffs than to make it. While Buchanan acknowledged that playing without Haliburton will likely affect Indiana’s style, slowing down the pace of the offense, he pointed out that most of the rest of the roster (with the notable exception of center Myles Turner) is returning and that those players have exhibited a tendency to defy expectations.

“This team has shown that they come together when people kinda doubt them,” Buchanan said. “I think they feel and they sense and they hear the doubt about this season for us. We’re still going to have a lot of the same identity. We still have a lot of the same core pieces on this team. The traits that those guys bring, what our coaches bring, are still there. I wouldn’t put a limit on anything this year.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, in an interview with Sport24, said he could envision himself playing for a European club later in his career if the timing and conditions were right, as Eurohoops relays. Antetokounmpo also suggested he’s probably not the only European star who feels that way. “Of course it can happen,” he said. “If you told (Nikola) Jokic that he would earn roughly the same money and be back home in Serbia, he would do it. For me, I think a lot about my body. The money is very different, and not just the money – the whole organization is completely different. You’ve been to the NBA, you’ve seen how things work. But every year when I play for the national team, I always end up saying the same thing.”
  • Josh Giddey‘s new four-year contract with the Bulls is worth exactly $100MM, is fully guaranteed (with no incentives or options), and features annual cap hits of $25MM, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The flat structure of the deal means it will be worth a smaller percentage of the salary cap in future seasons, allowing Chicago to maximize its flexibility down the road.
  • The Bulls announced a series of promotions and additions within their basketball opreations department, including naming Faizan Hasnany as their executive director of basketball strategy and analytics.
  • Longtime Pistons scout Durand “Speedy” Walker has earned a promotion and will serve as the president of basketball operations of the Motor City Cruise, the team’s G League affiliate, according to a press release. Walker has more than 18 years of experience in the organization.

Bulls Re-Sign Josh Giddey To Four-Year Deal

September 25: Giddey’s four-year contract is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


September 9: The Bulls and restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey are in agreement on a four-year, $100MM contract, agent Daniel Moldovan tells Shams Charania of ESPN. It’s a fully guaranteed contract with no player or team option, Charania adds.

Giddey, who was one of four top restricted free agents still unsigned when September began, will get the most lucrative contract any RFA has signed so far this summer and will become one of just five free agents to receive at least $100MM this offseason, joining Naz Reid, Kyrie Irving, Myles Turner, and Julius Randle.

The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Giddey spent his first three NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, but wasn’t an ideal fit on a Thunder roster that featured star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6’8″ Australian guard was traded to the Bulls during the 2024 offseason straight up for defensive ace Alex Caruso.

Chicago faced plenty of criticism for its decision to send out one of its most valuable trade chips for a player who had just been benched by the Thunder in the postseason, without getting any sort of draft compensation in the deal. But the Bulls were confident in Giddey’s ability to thrive in more of a primary ball-handling role, and he responded with the best year of his career, setting new personal highs in rebounds (8.1) and assists (7.2) per game, as well as three-point percentage (37.8%).

While Giddey had an up-and-down first half in Chicago, he thrived in the second half, particularly after the team traded away Zach LaVine. Between the All-Star break and the end of the season, the 22-year-old nearly averaged a triple-double, with 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game and a .500/.457/.809 shooting line. His usage rate, which had been 20.2% prior to the All-Star break, was 24.9% the rest of the way, and the Bulls won 12 of those 19 games.

The year-to-year details of Giddey’s new deal aren’t yet known, but the Bulls will have a significant amount of cap flexibility going forward – including a big chunk of cap room in 2026 and/or 2027 – no matter how it’s structured. Prior to Giddey’s agreement, Patrick Williams had been the only player on the roster owed guaranteed money beyond the 2026/27 season.

The Bulls put out a press release announcing Giddey’s new deal shortly after Charania reported it, but have since removed that announcement from their website and their Twitter account. That’s likely a case of the team’s PR staff jumping the gun on the official announcement, not a sign that the agreement has fallen through.

With Giddey re-signing and Nets guard Cam Thomas having accepted his qualifying offer, just two notable restricted free agents still don’t have deals in place: Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors and Quentin Grimes of the Sixers. They have until October 1 to accept their respective qualifying offers.

Central Notes: Toppin, Giddey, Pistons, Bucks

The Pacers will have to defend their Eastern Conference championship without Tyrese Haliburton, who will spend this season rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery. Big man Obi Toppin still believes the Pacers can be “great” without their star guard.

“Ty brings so much to the team and it’s not hidden, everybody understands what he brings to the game,” Toppin told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “So it’s just something that everybody on the team has to do while we’re out there, just doing a little extra knowing what we’re missing and knowing what we need out there on the court and just continue playing Pacers basketball. We’ve built the system here and I feel like everybody has bought into the system. That’s why we’ve been so successful. If we continue doing that, we’re gonna still be great.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Warriors Made New Offer To Jonathan Kuminga, But Stalemate Continues

The Warriors made a new contract offer to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga last week, hoping to end the standoff that has prevented them from completing other offseason moves, sources tell Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.

Golden State’s latest proposal is a three-year, $75.2MM deal with a team option in the third season, according to the authors’ sources. It includes $48.3MM in guaranteed money over the first two years, which Slater and Charania point out is nearly equal to the annual salary that restricted free agent Josh Giddey received last week in his new contract with Chicago. They add that the major difference is that Giddey received four guaranteed years with no options on either side, while Kuminga would most likely be a trade asset under his next contract rather than part of the team’s long-term future.

The offer is an increase from the two-year, $45MM contract that was presented to Kuminga and his representatives earlier this summer. That deal also included a team option on the final season and a demand that Kuminga waive his inherent no-trade clause.

The authors describe the Warriors’ insistence on those provisions, even in the new proposal, as a “major part” of the prolonged standoff. Their sources say Golden State’s only offer without a team option was for $54MM over three years, which brings the annual salary down to $18MM.

Kuminga has been requesting a player option to give him more control over his future, sources tell Slater and Charania. He and agent Aaron Turner have been willing to accept a yearly salary in the $20MM range as a tradeoff, but they believe agreeing to a team option should bring Kuminga’s salary up to about $30MM per year. The Warriors consider a player option to be a “nonstarter,” according to the authors.

The latest proposal from Kuminga and his agent is described as a “souped-up version” of Golden State’s qualifying offer, which is also still on the table. Kuminga would receive more money than the $8MM QO that was tendered in late June, but it would be a one-year deal that makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer and allows the Warriors to shop him as an expiring contract heading into the trade deadline. It also creates the possibility that Kuminga could spend another full season with the team and start negotiations fresh next offseason.

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. turned down that idea, the authors state, as owner Joe Lacob is reportedly unwilling to accept any deal that puts the Warriors at risk of losing Kuminga next summer while getting nothing in return.

Lacob has been a strong believer in Kuminga ever since he advocated drafting him ahead of Franz Wagner in 2021, according to the authors. Sources tell them that Lacob refused to part with Kuminga in a proposed trade with Chicago for Alex Caruso two years ago, and he remained a vocal supporter even when the forward was removed from Steve Kerr‘s rotation last season. But sources tell the authors that Lacob has never intervened with Kerr on Kuminga’s behalf and has allowed the coach to make his own decisions about who gets on the court.

Kerr has indicated that Kuminga would see ample playing time this season if he opts to re-sign, according to Slater and Charania’s sources. However, Kuminga’s camp has pointed to comments that Kerr made during the playoffs — stating that Kuminga isn’t a natural fit alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler — and they suggest that staying with Golden State might not be the best move for Kuminga’s career.

Before the Warriors shut down the idea of a sign-and-trade, they received offers from the Suns (who intended to pay Kuminga about $80-88MM over four years) and Kings (three years at $63-66MM), who were both willing to give him a player option and make him their starting power forward.

However, the Warriors weren’t satisfied with the return in the proposed deals, which reportedly would have brought Royce O’Neale and second-round draft compensation from Phoenix or Malik Monk and a protected first-rounder from Sacramento.

With training camp starting in two weeks, the authors state that Kuminga’s best hope is for Lacob to intervene, either to give him the financial compensation that he wants or ease his pathway to another team. The Warriors have several moves on hold that can’t be completed until the Kuminga situation is resolved, so a final decision will have to be made soon.

How Giddey Contract Impacts Bulls’ Financial Outlook

Josh Giddey and the Bulls recently came to terms on a four-year, $100MM free agent contract, putting an end to one of the summer’s longest-running negotiations. In the wake of that deal, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscriber link) broke down how it will impact Chicago’s financial future.

In the short term, the Bulls still have their $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, but with no unrestricted free agents left on the board who would warrant such a deal, Gozlan speculates that the team will probably carry that exception into the season, when it could potentially be used for a rotational upgrade or to take on money to add other future-facing assets.

As for next summer, the Giddey extension doesn’t change the fact that Chicago will look to be a player in free agency. Should the Bulls keep Coby White‘s $24.5MM cap hold on their books – which seems likely barring a trade – they would project to have between $40-50MM in cap space in the summer of 2026. Gozlan notes they could use all of that space and then go over the cap to sign White to a new long-term deal.

There are a number of talented players who could potentially reach free agency next summer, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Zach LaVine, and Trae Young. However, given recent trends involving star players avoiding free agency, it’s possible that White, an unrestricted free agent, could be one of the names on the market.

Gozlan speculates that with another strong season, White could command a deal reaching around $30MM annually. He has averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on .450/.373/.873 shooting splits over the past two seasons and will turn 26 midway through the season.

Should the Bulls balk at the idea of paying him, he would undoubtedly be a high-level trade chip, but considering both Lonzo Ball and LaVine have been traded since February, White’s spot in the team’s long-term backcourt seems more stable than it previously did.

Gozlan also notes that Chicago has $90MM in expiring deals between Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Jevon Carter. Trading some of them to bring back long-term money would eat into their 2026 cap flexibility, but could function as a way to essentially conduct free agency business in advance.

Finally, Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry are currently extension-eligible and could cut into the team’s cap space if they’re signed to new deals.

Free Agent Notes: Giddey, Lyles, Bacot, Gallinari

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.

Bulls Offered Giddey $80MM Deal At Start Of Free Agency

The Bulls made guard Josh Giddey a four-year contract offer worth $80MM when free agency began on June 30, league sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Multiple reports dating back to last October have indicated that Giddey’s asking price is in the range of $30MM per year, so Chicago’s offer fell well short of that benchmark.

While the two sides have had nearly a month-and-a-half since free agency opened to try to bridge the gap, the Bulls have been “anchored” in the neighborhood of $20MM annually since making that initial offer, Fischer writes.

As a restricted free agent, Giddey can’t sign outright with another team, but he has drawn sign-and-trade interest from a handful of Eastern Conference teams, according to Fischer, who reiterates that the Warriors also have genuine interest in the 22-year-old, as he previously reported.

However, Fischer acknowledges that there doesn’t appear to be a “feasible pathway” to a trade that gets Giddey to Golden State, and the other teams with interest in the former sixth overall pick also haven’t made any headway. The Bulls have “messaged for some time” that they’re not looking to seriously engage in sign-and-trade discussions about Giddey, says Fischer.

Giddey got off to a slow start in his first season as a Bull after being acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso, but finished strong, particularly after the team traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Between the start of February and the end of the regular season, Giddey averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game with a shooting line of .491/.451/.801 across 25 outings.

As we noted last week when we outlined the key dates and deadlines for restricted free agents, there are no deadlines on tap in August or September. RFAs have until October 1 to decide whether or not to accept their one-year qualifying offers (Giddey’s is worth $11.1MM), though that deadline can be pushed back if the team and player work out an agreement.

While it’s rare for so many top restricted free agents to remain unsigned this late in the offseason, it’s not uncommon for one or two RFA standoffs to extend well into the summer. A year ago, Isaac Okoro eventually re-signed with the Cavaliers on September 17; two years ago, P.J. Washington re-signed with the Hornets on August 29; three years ago, Collin Sexton and Jordan Nwora didn’t resolve their restricted free agencies until September.