Star Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey, a restricted free agent, continues to await his next deal with the club.
Talks have apparently grown tense.
Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line, Giddey’s camp is hoping for an agreement in the range of $30 million annually, while the Bulls are looking to sign him to an agreement more in line with the four-year, $80 million contract they signed former two-time All-Star Zach LaVine to during his restricted free agency. That was a while, and the price gone up for elite starters.
It’s unclear if there’s much of a market in the league at large for Giddey at the price he wants, however. Or if the NBA sees Giddey as a particularly elite starter at all.
Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation outlines why Giddey could be hard-pressed to find a competing offer. As a restricted free agent, Chicago has the right to match any amount tendered the 6-foot-8 Australian’s way by a rival team.
NBA rumors on Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, and more restricted free agent negotiations https://t.co/TRxbpDTIVq
— SB Nation (@SBNation) July 25, 2025
“Yes, there will be more salary cap space available next year around the league, but there have been zero rumors of outside interest in Giddey this summer,” O’Donnell writes. “He’s a particularly hard player to fit into a good team because he has to play on the ball, and his defense and shooting are both shaky. He’s also had turnover problems throughout his career.”
Last year, the 22-year-old averaged 14.6 points on .465/.378/.781 shooting splits, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks in 70 healthy bouts (69 starts) for the 39-43 Bulls. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, as O’Donnell mentions, but his defensive woes and gaps as a shooter and distributor have clearly chilled his market.
Although he connected on 37.8% of his (often wide open) 4.0 triple tries last year, Giddey was a 31% three-point shooter on 3.3 attempts a night during his first three NBA seasons.
“Giddey is important to Chicago’s future, but the reality is he has no leverage in this situation,” O’Donnell notes. “If the Bulls are offering a deal for $80 million guaranteed over four years, that would give Giddey a chance to get back into unrestricted free agency in his prime (he’ll only be 26 four years from now) after years of trying to improve his weaknesses. He’s in a position to put up big numbers in an uptempo system built around his strengths in Chicago, but whether or not that can actually lead to wins is another question entirely.”
Still just 22, Giddey is already a triple-double machine, and does have major All-Star upside on a Chicago team that, despite its painful mediocrity, could enjoy fringe playoff momentum in a depleted Eastern Conference.
“Giddey should try to negotiate a shorter deal with a player option if he really wants to bet on himself — that way he’s locking in generational wealth while still gaining the ability to truly test the open market at a young age,” O’Donnell writes. “A four-year, $90 million offer should be the absolute max for the Bulls.”
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