Even with the trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers and the major question marks surrounding Nikola Vucevic’s future with the organization, easily the most notable Chicago Bulls storyline this offseason has been the tumultuous Josh Giddey contract negotiations.
For months, the two sides have been at odds with one another. Chicago is looking to lock down the point guard to a new deal that pays somewhere in the range of $20 million per year, while he and his team have stayed strong on coveting $30 million annually.
Based on the way he closed out last season, coupled with his age, position, and draft pedigree, there’s actually a strong case to be made that Giddey warrants somewhere much closer to his desired payday than the one Marc Eversley and company are floating out there.
Unfortunately, thanks to the Patrick Williams debacle from last offseason, it should come as no surprise that the Bulls are now playing coy.
Bulls regret of Patrick Williams deal likely cause of Josh Giddey reluctance
Last summer, Williams was in a somewhat similar situation to the one Giddey is in now, as he was a former lottery pick perceived to have high-end potential who was classified as a restricted free agent.
Unlike this current predicament, however, the Bulls were rather quick to shell out a deal to the forward, as they retained his services on a five-year, $90 million contract in late June.
As of August 5, 2025, no end to the Giddey standoff appears to be in sight, and, sadly, how Williams has fared since putting pen to paper is likely a major reason why.
Even before negotiations were held, Williams, the fourth overall pick in 2020, had struggled with both his play and ability to stay on the court. He had never averaged more than 30 minutes per night and saw over 65 games played during a season only twice.
Both of these remain to be the case after capping off what very likely could be deemed the worst season of his career, where he averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting just 39.7 percent from the field and boasting a career-worst 49.0 effective field goal percentage.
A year later, it goes without saying that the Bulls are absolutely regretting their decision to cough up substantial coin based on the hope of seeing Williams develop over time.
Frankly, though he has undoubtedly shown more promise throughout his NBA tenure, the idea of re-upping with Giddey at or around his $30 million AAV asking price would largely be influenced by a similar mindset.
Even with the fact that he was seen dropping stellar averages of 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 45.7 percent shooting from deep post-All-Star Weekend, it’s important to understand that this production came in a highly truncated 19-game stretch as a result of a nagging ankle injury.
Just or not, while he may be a 6-foot-8, 22-year-old pure floor general who averages 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game for his career, his small sample size with leading the charge for this team is clearly not enough to dispel any of the Bulls’ fears that putting trust in further development of a high-end former pick with perceived top-flight potential will ultimately pan out.
