The Bulls and Josh Giddey Narrowing in on a Deal? Latest Updates on Contract Talks

The Bulls and Josh Giddey Narrowing in on a Deal? Latest Updates on Contract Talks

I know some of you are probably getting sick of hearing about the impending contract extension for Josh Giddy, which continues to drag on further and further into the summer. And I know I just put out a video earlier this week breaking down the latest on Josh Giddy’s contract situation and why this could play out much longer than we had initially anticipated. even going as far as to say this could very well drag into the fall before the start of training camp as there really isn’t anything any incentive from either side to lower their asking price until there is a strict deadline which is October 1st. And in that video I had also talked about my concerns surrounding the whole situation and whether these negotiations were causing a strain on the relationship as you did not see Josh Giddy with other members of the Bulls roster at summer league despite the fact that he was in Vegas. But since then, we fortunately did get a positive update. Well, I guess positive depending on whether you value Giddy or not. But a positive update from our Bulls insider and Casey Johnson in a recent episode he did on the Fast Break. And the good news is that it does appear the Bulls and Josh Giddy are inching closer and closer to an agreement on an extension and that this hopefully won’t be a situation that will carry on well into the summer. Speaking of summer, one of the hardest things for me during this time of year, really any time of year for that matter, but especially when the kids are home know we’ve talked about this quite a bit, but wherever you fall on the love him or hate him spectrum of Josh Giddy, he’s going to be in a Chicago Bulls uniform next season. Whether that’s on the qualifying offer, under a new contract, whether it be a long-term agreement, short-term agreement, whatever. But Josh Giddy will be in Chicago next season. And it’s for all the reasons we’ve talked about previously. Most notably, the fact that there are no teams that have cap space to be able to sign him. And there is no interest at this time anyway, no third party interest willing to take on Giddy in a signin trade. Now, that doesn’t mean that Giddy isn’t good enough to be desired by a team in a trade. It’s more so the economics behind it and that a team is likely going to be unwilling to not only offer him $30 million a year, but also not willing to give up assets on top of paying him a big contract. And because the Bulls know this, because Josh Giddy knows this as well, they both know they have to work out a deal that is going to make sense for both sides. a deal that doesn’t insult or leave a bad taste in Getty’s mouth that he is forced to accept, but also one in which it doesn’t hamstring the bulls and their cap flexibility going forward. But Casey Johnson did emphasize in a recent episode of the Fast Break that those who have been speculating that the relationship is deteriorating. Uh me, I definitely thought that, but said they should put that on pause because while the team was in Vegas, he reported that the Bulls and Josh Giddy had very constructive and positive conversations with Bulls personnel, including a one-on-one sitdown with Billy Donovan, which say what you will about Billy Donovan and how he stacks up against other coaches in the league. But one thing he is really great at is building relationships with his players, especially with younger players. He has a good way of building trust and respect with his young guys and getting them motivated and bought into what the team is trying to do. But regardless, Giddy, yes, he was in Vegas. And no, just because he wasn’t sitting courtside with the other members of the team, doesn’t mean he wasn’t interacting with Bulls personnel and still having productive conversations around his contract. Now, one thing Casey mentioned, and we’ve heard other beat writers mention this as well, the Bulls have remained firm on the fact that they will not be giving Giddy that $30 million annual salary that he’s looking for, the Jaylen Suggs deal, the 5 years, $150 million that everyone keeps talking about, which is actually positive to hear if you’re a Bulls fan because we’ve seen from time and time again under this new regime where they’ve bid against themselves and not used any amount of leverage to their advantage to get the best deal possible and have been too quick to hand over big contract extensions without really assessing the landscape of the league and ensuring they’re paying fair market rates. They did that with Patrick Williams when they paid him that $90 million contract doing so even before he hit restrictive free agency when in reality it was very unlikely that any other team would have given him that kind of deal. They bid against themselves with Vuchevich when he was due for an extension and gave him a three-year $60 million contract. Something no other team would have dared to pay him that kind of money at that time. And even Zack Lavine, even though yes, they were in a bird’s right trap there and more or less had to pay him the max without running the risk of letting him walk in free agency for nothing, but we’ve seen it time and time again. This front office mismanaging their assets and contract negotiations. Seems they maybe, just maybe, have learned from these past mistakes and are holding firm knowing they have the cards in these discussions with Josh Giddy. And not giving Josh Giddy $30 million a year annually is the way to go. Like you guys know, I like Giddy. I recognize that he has flaws and I don’t believe he’s ever going to be a superstar or a number one option on a contending team, but I am higher on him than most. I think he’s a very good player, very smart player, savvy player who greatly improved his play from the start of last season to the end of it and also very much fits the style of basketball the Bulls want to play that fits modern NBA, playing fast with pace, heavy ball movement, pick and roll, pick and pop basketball. And so, yes, I do think Giddy is worth a big payday. he is worth more than what I’ve seen some people suggest where they think he should make less than $20 million a year, but $30 million a year, especially on a five-year contract is an overpay and not something the Bulls should do, especially when they have no competition against them that can outbid them for an offer sheet for Giddy. And so to me, the way I look at it is the bulls have to be calculated, be firm, understand your leverage, but while at the same time being tactful and fair so you don’t damage the relationship with one of your younger players that you view as a building block for the future, a player you traded your most valuable asset for an Alex Caruso. And so you try to concede on some areas that maybe would be seen as a win for Josh Giddy’s camp. Perhaps you give him $25 million annually, but with bigger than usual incentives where say he makes multiple AllNBA teams, he gets bonuses that put him over that $30 million AAV. Or maybe you do a shorterterm contract, say 3 years at $27 million in So Giddy has the ability to hit unrestricted free agency and he can reup or sign with a new team at even more money with the rise in salary cap. Maybe even giving him a player option in the final year to give him more flexibility and control. There are a lot of ways this whole thing could play out. My hope is that the Bulls don’t screw this up, but they don’t screw it up by offering him too much or they lowball him to the point where he opts to take the qualifying offer and then gives the big middle finger to the front office and bounces as an unrestricted free agent in 2026, effectively giving the Bulls nothing in return for Alex Caruso. You guys know I don’t have much faith in this front office in general to get this right, but I feel like just based on how things are trending and what’s been reported thus far that they may finally get this one right and resign Giddy to a team friendly deal. We’ll see. Hopefully they lock all this up in the coming week or so so that it doesn’t drag on further. But let me know what you guys think though. Let me know in the comments. As always, be sure to subscribe and I will see you in the next one.

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