The Utah Jazz alienated then-franchise star Gordon Hayward by slow-playing his restricted free agency. The Bulls are playing the same dangerous game by dragging out extension talks with Josh Giddey.
Chicago’s floor general was hoping to land a long-term deal worth $30 million annually when he arrived in the Windy City last offseason. Given that he was just acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder and hadn’t played a game for the franchise, it was right for the Bulls to take a wait-and-see approach to a new contract.
As a draft pick of the Jazz, Hayward’s situation was slightly different, but the point remains: As easy as it is to gloss over from the outside, there’s always a human element to contract negotiations. Frustration and hurt feelings eventually made Hayward’s decision to bolt for Boston easier.
Chicago can’t afford to make the same mistake.
Josh Giddey is too valuable for the Chicago Bulls to disgruntle
Hayward didn’t get a rookie-scale extension from the Jazz. He got a qualifying offer before signing a four-year, maximum salary offer sheet from the Charlotte Hornets. Utah matched it, and the former Butler University star stayed in Salt Lake City.
When he hit unrestricted free agency three years later, he admitted to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t NBC Sports) that his restricted free agency experience with the Jazz played a role in his departure:
“As a player, you’re sitting there thinking like, ‘What the hell?’ You look at all these other players where teams are like, ‘He’s our guy,’ Hayward explained. “Like, ‘We’re going to give him the max,’ blah, blah, blah. And I’ve got to go out and get one? Like, ‘Do you not believe in me?’ Do you not feel like I’m the guy for you?'”
It’s easy to imagine Giddey feeling the same way as negotiations with the Bulls extend past the two-month mark. He had a career year in his first season with the franchise, is only 22 years old and proved himself to be a crucial part of Chicago’s organizational direction.
Unfortunately for the Aussie, the free agency market is bone dry this summer, and he has little, if any, leverage. He’s still shooting for that $30 million per year, while the Bulls are stubbornly sticking closer to a $20 million average annual salary.
But there’s something to be said for finding a middle ground sooner rather than later. There’s a compromise to be had — perhaps $25 million per season on a shorter deal with a team or player option tacked on the end. If Giddey continues on his upward trajectory, that contract would be a bargain for the Bulls.
Maybe it doesn’t come back to bite Chicago like it did Utah. But the longer things stall, the less valuable Giddey would presumably feel. The Bulls are risking souring their relationship with a player who’s on track to become their franchise point guard.
