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Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls and Josh Giddey are still in a stalemate. Neither side has made much headway in terms of contract negotiations this summer. As such, Giddey remains a restricted free agent. He could still sign his qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In recent weeks, reports have linked the Golden State Warriors to having an interest in Giddey. Golden State finds itself in a similar situation with one of its own restricted free agents, Jonathan Kuminga.

During an August 15 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem urged the Bulls to consider engaging Golden State on a potential sign-and-trade deal.

“I’m looking around. I’m looking at the Chicago Bulls and I’m looking at the Golden State Warriors and I’m saying Josh Giddey looked like a guy that could fit great over in Golden State and Jonathan Kuminga looks like a guy that possibly could fit good in Chicago,” Haslem said.

Haslem continued.

“I remember reading an article just a little while ago where Josh Giddey’s father said that there was interest from Golden State in Kuminga, but OKC took him at six, and they said that Golden State would take him at seven,” Haslem continued. “So I’m just saying, this might be a solution. I’m no GM. This might be above my pay grade, guys. But this might be a solution to some people’s problems.”

A Giddey-for-Kuminga deal could make sense for both the Bulls and the Warriors. However, in reality, a sign-and-trade of this magnitude would entail both teams making concessions regarding potential salary-matching additions to the deal. And for that reason, we shouldn’t expect either team to consider a move like this as a viable option.

Bulls’ Giddey Isn’t Being Pursued by Warriors

According to ClutchPoint’s Brett Siegel, the Golden State Warriors are not actively pursuing Giddey this summer.

“Although interest from other teams may exist, the Warriors are not actively pursuing Giddey this offseason, team sources from both organizations confirmed,” Siegel reported on Aug. 11. “The Bulls have not held sign-and-trade talks with the Dubs regarding Giddey and Kuminga, a scenario that would be very difficult for both teams to solve financially.”

Siegle continued.

“The two teams have held conversations with one another this offseason, but talks around the start of free agency were more so centered around Kuminga and potential interest Chicago held, sources said. At no point did the Bulls signal that Giddey was available, nor did the Dubs try to put together a package for him.”

Of course, things in the NBA can change quickly. Therefore, if both Kuminga and Giddey continue to play hardball, the Bulls and Warriors front offices may get in contact to explore what the framework of a deal could look like.

Warriors Have a Long-Held Interest in Josh Giddey

During an August 7 edition of  Bleacher Report’s “NBA Insider Notebook” livestream, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Warriors’ interest in Giddey stretches back to the 2021 NBA Draft.

“To my understanding, the Warriors were prepared on draft night way back in 2021 for Jonathan Kuminga to go no. 6 to Oklahoma City and they were ready to take Josh Giddey at no. 7,” Fischer said.

Nevertheless, the Bulls have remained steadfast in their desire to ink Giddey to a new deal and continue building around him. Therefore, the most likely outcome remains the one where Giddey signs a bumper new deal with the Bulls. Unfortunately, that could mean the stalemate will continue for a little while longer as negotiations continue to play out.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor