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With averages of 20.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, Josh Giddey appears to be the new franchise player for the Chicago Bulls.

As of now, it might be hard to find a fan of the Chicago Bulls who would disagree with the franchise resigning Josh Giddey to a four-year, $100 million contract extension this summer.

Originally, some thought it was an overpay. But now a month into the season, Giddey’s $25 million average annual value is getting praised as one of the best offseason deals in the NBA. Most recently, John Hollinger of The Athletic described the Bulls’ move to sign Giddey to that deal as ‘brilliant.’

“Whatever you think of the trade that brought him to the Windy City in the first place, the Chicago Bulls’ decision to re-sign Josh Giddey for four years and $100 million in restricted free agency looks brilliant,” he wrote. 

Giddey had shown signs in the past of becoming a leading player, but without a guarantee, there’s a chance the $100 million deal could have gone south. Through 14 games, he leads the Bulls in scoring, assists, and minutes while helping the team to an 8-6 record.

Not bad for $25 million a year.

Josh Giddey’s Contract Is A Steal

Last offseason, Chicago sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade for Giddey. He was consistent last year, and while the scoring was relatively minimal, he was a ‘do it all’ player for the Bulls who filled up the statsheet.

Chicago didn’t go anywhere record-wise, sitting at a close to .500 mark they’ve been at all decade. But Giddey showed promise, and as a restricted free agent, the Bulls had a decision to make.

He was one of the last players to sign a deal this offseason, and initially, many saw it as an overpay. But now, it’s hardly fair to say the contract wasn’t anything but a steal for the Bulls. According to Hollinger, its value only means more good things for Chicago in terms of either keeping or bringing in talent.

“He’s playing like a max-contract superstar while occupying just $25 million on Chicago’s books for the three seasons after this one; partly as a result, Chicago is set up to have max cap room this summer to bring in more talent around him and Coby White,” Hollinger wrote. 

At $25 million a year, Giddey is making the same as players like Anfernee Simons, Christian Braun, Naz Reid, and Draymond Green. While the value of some of those players compared to Giddey could be argued, none are even close to putting up the 20.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game as the number one option for his team.

“Giddey is off to a brilliant start that has him nearly averaging a triple-double,” Hollinger added. “And he’s playing at a level that could end in his making his first All-Star team at age 23.”

It’s not Austin Reaves on the Lakers level, but still great value for Chicago.

The Bulls Are Fun If Nothing Else

Your thoughts on the Chicago Bulls might change depending on the type of night you watch them. In some games, the offensive firepower looks unstoppable. In others, the entire team seems determined to give up the most points possible.

Those trends have been evident since head coach Billy Donovan started running the team. However, since Giddey’s arrival, one thing has been clear for the Bulls: they are exciting to watch. 

To exemplify both of these two points, look no further than Chicago’s latest win over the Portland Trail Blazers. For much of the night, they had the league, with Giddey, White, Nikola Vucevic, and the rest of the team putting up solid numbers.

However, in the fourth quarter, while up 18 points, the Bulls forgot how to score. They went on to drop only eight points in nine minutes in the fourth quarter, eventually losing the lead to the Blazers with less than a minute left. 

Down four with ten seconds left, White hit a three to close it to one. The Bulls fouled, and Portland made one of their free throws to go back up two. But as time was expiring, White passed the ball to Vucevic, who hit a three-pointer for the win. 

As ugly as the game was, that’s been the story for the Bulls over the past two years. It’s yet to be seen if Giddey leading this cast can make any noise in the playoffs, but they offer the chance to knock off any team on any given night. 

Chicago has been stuck in mediocrity. They had a hopeful start but have since fallen off a bit, as it’s still unknown what the peak of this team is.

Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski