Of the four remaining restricted players, Giddey inspired the most consistent contract suggestions. Respondents were most comfortable giving him money.<\/p>\n
Fourteen of the 16 participants proposed an average annual salary between $20 million and $25 million. (His mean average yearly value in the poll came to $22.3 million a year.) One executive pinned him as an $18 million player. Another, a front-office staffer who admitted he would be far lower than the consensus because he wasn\u2019t a fan of Giddey\u2019s game, suggested $50 million over four years, $12.5 million a year \u2014 less than the midlevel exception for a player who put up 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 2024-25 and who averaged nearly a 20-point triple-double over his final 19 games.<\/p>\n
However, even with Giddey\u2019s biggest detractor in the poll, ignore the money. Instead, focus on the years.<\/p>\n
Four.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s rare nowadays.<\/p>\n
Seventy-eight free agents have signed contracts this offseason, as of this past weekend. Only three of them \u2014 the Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 Myles Turner, the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2019 Sam Merrill and the Atlanta Hawks\u2019 Nickeil Alexander-Walker \u2014 received at least four guaranteed seasons. For reference, 13 free agents signed four- or five-year contracts last summer.<\/p>\n
Front offices worry about cresting above the first or second apron in today\u2019s financial environment. Surpassing either payroll threshold can render a team\u2019s optionality ineffective. Meanwhile, the NBA\u2019s recent salary-cap projection for 2026-27, which includes only a 7 percent raise instead of the 10 percent raise many around the league expected, \u201cprobably spooked teams,\u201d one executive who participated in the poll said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re offering a four-year contract, you have to be correct,\u201d said one executive, who then cut himself off. \u201cBut Giddey, you could offer a four-year deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The executive was one of four respondents who deemed $100 million over four years as fair for Giddey.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiddey is the anomaly because he might be good enough to be a four-year player,\u201d the executive said. \u201cNobody wants to go with long-term contracts because everybody wants this idea of flexibility. You wanna have the ability to (say), \u2018You know what? My team\u2019s not very good. Let\u2019s pivot.\u2019\u2009\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2185863788-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Josh Giddey averaged nearly a 20-point triple-double in his final 19 games with the Chicago Bulls this past season. (Stacy Revere \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The majority of those polled agreed that Giddey was worth a commitment. Seven of the 16 participants proposed four-year deals for him: one for $50 million, one for $80 million, one for $88 million and four for $100 million.<\/p>\n
Three more respondents suggested five-year contracts: one for $112.5 million, one for $115 million and the largest one (both in money and average annual value) for $125 million.<\/p>\n
Selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey was once a coveted part of the Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s supercharged rebuild. There, he showed flashes as a 6-foot-8 floor general and creative passer. Despite off-court controversy early in the 2023-24 campaign, Giddey started all but two of his appearances for a team that proved to be a season, and a couple of offseason acquisitions, away from an NBA title.<\/p>\n
Giddey, a 33.7 percent 3-point shooter that season, was slotted as a below-average defender on a defensive juggernaut and was pulled from the starting lineup late in Oklahoma City\u2019s 2024 playoff run. Thunder general manager Sam Presti continued to value Giddey\u2019s tools, aiming for his return in an altered role that summer. However, Giddey, entering a contract year, made it apparent that his ambitions would lead to divorce. He wanted to start \u2014 and he would have to do so elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Presti agreed to swap Giddey for all-defensive guard Alex Caruso, giving the latter a role with a contender and Giddey the keys to a franchise.<\/p>\n
Particularly down the stretch of this past season, Giddey excelled. And yet, he remains unsigned \u2014 in part because cap space around the league has dried up, removing any hopes of leverage, and in part because Giddey is a restricted free agent, meaning the Bulls could match any offer sheet he signed with another team to bring him back for the same price. It makes rival organizations less likely to waste their time chasing him.<\/p>\n
One executive proposed a three-year contract for Giddey but with a team option, a move that would sustain flexibility for the Bulls. Five other executives suggested a three-year guarantee for Giddey. The executive lowest on him proposed $54 million. Every other three-year contract was within the same range: $60 million, $66 million, $67.5 million and two for $75 million.<\/p>\n
However, even inside an unfriendly market, Giddey has reason to negotiate for more.<\/p>\n
Once the Bulls dealt Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings in February, Giddey received more wiggle room in an offense catered to his usage. After the trade deadline, he shot 45.7 percent from deep on marginally increased attempts. His free-throw rate also spiked, as he averaged 5.8 attempts per game (up from 2.2 before Feb. 20). If nothing else, Giddey was granted comfort \u2014 and with that, it seems, some level of ownership over the Bulls\u2019 offensive direction.<\/p>\n
Giddey can use the Bulls\u2019 past actions against them, too, specifically the contract they handed to former No. 4 draft pick Patrick Williams, who was in a similar situation last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago gave (Williams) five years, $90 million with a player option,\u201d one executive said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t show much and got that deal entirely based on them drafting him top five and (his) perceived potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giddey was also a lottery selection. Jalen Suggs, who was picked just before Giddey in that draft, received a five-year, $150.5 million extension last summer. Leading up to the 2024 trade for Giddey, the Bulls turned down draft picks in proposed deals for Caruso before sending him to Oklahoma City without any draft capital attached.<\/p>\n
Since June 2023, Chicago has acquired just one first-round pick: its pick in this summer\u2019s draft, which was used to take Noa Essengue at No. 12.<\/p>\n
The highest average annual value suggested for Giddey in the poll was $25 million \u2014 but that also was the most common one. Seven participants proposed contracts worth $25 million a year, in part because the Bulls could accommodate that much.\u00a0Chicago is nearly $40 million below the luxury tax at the moment.<\/p>\n
The Bulls have room to spare. For now, despite a barren market and the curse of restricted free agency, Giddey is hoping they spare it for him.<\/p>\n
(Top photo: Luke Hales \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The death of free agency is upon us, so says the NBA\u2019s national conversation. However, whether that demise…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29541,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,5184,459,82],"class_list":["post-29540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}