So…The Bulls and Josh Giddey are Actually FAR APART on a Deal?

So…The Bulls and Josh Giddey are Actually FAR APART on a Deal?

So, the Josh Giddy saga continues. Yes, we’re talking about this again. And the reason we’re talking about this again is because we keep getting conflicting reports on what the hell is going on with this contract situation. Yesterday, I put out a video on the reports coming out from Casey Johnson. The Bulls were inching closer to a deal. And the Bulls and Giddy’s camp have actually had very productive and positive discussions regarding his contract. Yes, the Bulls remain firm and that they’re not going to offer him $30 million a year, but based on that reporting, you would have thought, okay, discussions are progressing and perhaps we’re going to see a deal happen sooner rather than later. But then shortly after I uploaded that video, maybe like an hour or two, we got a new report that came out from Jake Fischer of the Stein Line that actually no, he’s been hearing on his side that the Bulls and Josh Giddy are still significantly far apart on a deal, about $10 million worth annually. The Bulls are hoping for something in the $20 million year range, while Giddy is still, as we’ve talked about before, is wanting that $30 million AAV type contract. Now, I’ll be honest. If the Bulls and Giddy are still in fact that far apart, if Jake Fischer’s reporting is true, then yeah, I would not at all be surprised if this thing goes into the September before a deal gets done or hell, we see a scenario where Giddy takes the qualifying offer. It’s pretty crazy to me that neither side has come down even a bit and made some concessions to try and meet somewhere in the middle. Like, it really is a game of chicken at this point because both sides know Giddy isn’t getting $30 million anywhere else. Both sides know a signing trade isn’t going to be an option when other teams haven’t shown interest in trading and paying for a player like Giddy at that amount. And both sides know that Giddy isn’t going to want to take the qualifying offer and sacrifice a lot of money for one year in the hopes that he get a bigger payday next year. And both sides know, the Bulls have the leverage. They have the upper hand in this negotiation. The Bulls know that. Giddy and his agent know that. So, it’s surprising to me that Giddy and his camp aren’t conceding a little bit and knowing that the offer likely isn’t going to get any better and that they run the risk of having to take the $1 million qualifying offer and running the risk of having a bad season or an injury that would result in him getting an even worse deal in 2026 than he currently has on the table. Now, what I do think will help the Bulls in moving a deal like this along is another restrictive free agent, most notably Jonathan Kaminga, needs to sign their deal as a baseline measure for what Giddy and his camp should expect in a contract. Because right now, both Kaminga and Giddy are sort of clinging to this idea that they should be getting $30 million a year. And it’s primarily because of what one of their draft counterparts got this past offseason in Jaylen Suggs where he signed that 5year $150 million contract. They’re using the Suggs deal as a benchmark for what players of that caliber in their draft class are worth. The problem though is what you’re worth, what your value is, is all dependent on what the market rate is at a given time in the NBA. You’re only worth what a team is willing to pay you. And right now, for both of those guys, no team is willing, or I should say no team is able to pay you that kind of deal that Suggs got. Sometimes it’s all about timing in the NBA and securing your bag, getting in at the right time when there is ample cap space and coming into negotiations from a position of strength. Neither Josh Giddy nor Kaminga have that right now. Now, what’s interesting is in that same report from Jake Fischer, he did talk about a new team that has expressed some interest in Jonathan Kaminga. That team being the Phoenix Suns. But he also called out that Kuminga had shown interest that him and his camp had been hopeful of a potential sign and trade with the Chicago Bulls. But the Bulls have their own restrictive free agency dance that they have to navigate with Giddy first. In other words, the Bulls have to figure out what they’re doing with Giddy, how much they’re going to pay him before they can really do anything else. But to me, what’s interesting in that report is that up until now, it was my belief anyway that the interest in a potential signing trade for Kaminga coming to Chicago was really on the part of the Bulls. But in fact, it does seem like there was also interest on Kaminga’s part in coming to Chicago. And it’s interesting to me because more recently, especially in the current state of the Bulls, but this really dates all the way to say the last two decades or so, you don’t usually hear free agents, restricted or otherwise, preferring to go to Chicago as their destination of choice, especially when said free agent currently plays for a contending team like the Warriors. Now, yes, circumstances are a little different. Obviously, Jonathan Kaminga is not a marquee level type free agent, an all-star type free agent, but he is a solid player. Obviously, a player that hasn’t been happy with his role in Golden State. He feels that his development has been stalled because the Warriors are trying to win a championship. He sees a team like the Bulls that are younger, they like to play fast, a team that needs some offensive versatility, and he likely sees a place where he believes he can thrive. Now, I’ve had my reservations about Jonathan Kaminga. I’ve talked about it in prior videos, especially if you’re going to give him a big contract that may be difficult to trade down the line. And while I don’t doubt that Kaminga is a talented player, a gifted athlete, and a player that has some high potential upside in the right role, I just don’t see the fit with the Bulls, especially now that the Bulls have added, Isaac. We always talked about how the Bulls had way too many guards on their roster. You bring in a player like Kaminga and you now have an abundance of wings and adding yet another wing that is going to limit the development of your 18-year-old project player in Noah Sen, which in my opinion the Bulls should be investing more in than a player like Kaminga. The other reason I’m not that high on adding a player like Jonathan Kaminga is that in order for the Bulls to acquire him, it would have to be done in the form of a sign and trade. And if we’re talking about realistic trade options that the Warriors would even entertain with the Bulls, a player that would fit their needs, then it likely means Kobe White is going to be included in that outgoing trade. Yes, Vuvich has been talked about and linked to the Warriors in the past, but it’s now sounding more and more like that was never a thing or if it was a thing where they were interested in Vu back at the deadline. That has since died and the Warriors have shown no interest in him since then. But Kobe White, Kobe is a guy they could use to be another added scoring option. A player that fits their style of offense, uptempo, pace, and space, can play off the ball in the catch and shoot, take some of the pressure off of Steph Curry, can free up minutes for him as he enters his age 38 season. That’s the guy the Warriors are going to want. There really isn’t going to be another guy on the Bulls roster that the Warriors are going to be interested in where they feel that it would be a fair exchange for Kaminga. And so in my view, if you have to give up Kobe White and sign Kaminga to a $25 million a year range type deal, if not more, it’s not worth it because then you’re looking at a roster that has a collection of, sure, talented young players, young players with experience, but all young players that aren’t going to move the needle for you. A young core that isn’t going to put you on a pathway to contention. And at that rate, it’s like, well, what’s the point in all this? Which I guess has kind of been the Bulls MMO for some time now. What’s really been the point in anything that they do now? Now, if the Warriors were willing to throw in a first round pick in the deal to send Kaminga to the Bulls, then okay, that’s intriguing because at least now if things don’t work out with Kaminga, you at least have a valuable asset down the line, a valuable pick that could be juicy given we don’t know what the Warriors are going to look like post Steph Curry. A first round pick from the Warriors, especially if it’s unprotected, could be a key asset that is worth taking on for Jonathan Kaminga. But anyway, one of these restricted free agent dominoes needs to fall between Kaminga, Grimes, and Ken Thomas. Like one of those guys needs to get signed before I feel the Bulls are really going to make any progress on a deal with Josh Giddy. They need an offer sheet to set the benchmark for restricted free agents this summer so Giddy and his agent can come to the table with a more realistic counter offer. My guess is after seeing this report from Jake Fischer. It’s going to be some time, but who knows? Maybe we’ll get another report out tomorrow. The Bulls and Giddy are back to inching closer and finalizing an agreement. Either way, stay tuned. I’ll update you guys as the offseason progresses. In the meantime, let me know what you guys think in the comments. As always, be sure to subscribe and I will see you in the next one.

Discussing the recent reports from Jake Fischer that the Bulls and Josh Giddey are actually far apart on a new deal

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