A divisive offseason looms for the Chicago Bulls. Following years of stagnation and wonky roster construction, Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas finally pulled the plug, shipping both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, seven months apart.
Despite the radical roster reconstruction and revamped play-style under the careful eye of Head Coach Billy Donovan, the arguably less-talented iteration of the Bulls finished the 2023-24 campaign the same as the 2024-25 season, 39 wins and a Play-In Tournament exit.
While a 39-win season isn’t anything to write home about, a vast improvement post-All-Star break is. Sans LaVine, Chicago went 17-10 following the break. Coby White won Eastern Conference Player of the Month in March, Josh Giddey averaged a near 20-point triple-double, and Matas Buzelis shined as he took over for Patrick Williams as the starting power forward.
White and Buzelis are set to reprise their roles, but the same cannot be said of impending free agent Giddey… or can it? Although the 22-year-old has been rumored to be seeking $30 million annually, it’s all but guaranteed he’ll return to the Windy City next season, at least according to Jake Fischer via The Stein Line.
Josh Giddey is expected to remain a Chicago Bull
When discussing the NBA’s free agent market, namely point guards, Fischer penned, “The working assumption in most front offices at this stage is that both Fred VanVleet (Houston) and restricted free agent Josh Giddey (Chicago) — like Irving and Harden — will be staying with their incumbent teams.”
This isn’t exactly a shocker, nevertheless, it bodes extremely well for the Bulls. As a restricted free agent, Chicago can match any offer thrown Giddey’s way. Without a feasible rival suitor, the Bulls will have the utmost leverage in contract talks. Thus, $30 million per annum may not be in store for the fourth-year pro.
Giddey, whose game took off after the All-Star break, hasn’t necessarily put together a $150 million resumé. He averaged merely 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 44.6 percent shooting from the floor and 34.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, counting stats worse than his career averages, not exactly proving to be worthy of such an exorbitant pact.
Still, Giddey is a valuable player, and he flourished as a second option in Donovan’s uptempo, space and pace offense. There’s no denying how impactful he was in 19 appearances following the midseason festivities where he averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists while splashing 45.7 percent of his triples.
Giddey, at only 22 years old, is certainly a foundational part of Chicago’s rebuild moving forward. So, retaining the 6-foot-8 guard’s services is warranted. The only doubt related to his rumored contract demands, which initially appeared too rich for the Bulls’ liking. However, Giddey has since put most long-term concerns to rest, yet the small, 19-game sample size is still cause for concern.
