When the Chicago Bulls acquired Josh Giddey in an offseason trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bulls nation was dubious. Giddey responded with a career year in his first season in the Windy City. But now, they'll have to pay him.
Giddey wrapped the year averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds (career high), 7.2 assists (career high), 1.2 steals (career high), and 0.6 blocks (career high) a night across 70 games. He also set a new personal best in three-point efficiency, shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.
He also had seven triple-doubles, second-most in Bulls history, and became just the third Bulls player to top 1,000 points, 500 boards, and 500 assists in a season alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Giddey will be a restricted free agent heading into the 2025 offseason, but as K.C. Jones reported, Bulls VP Arturas Karnisovas says they intend to retain the 22-year-old long-term:
"Bulls exec VP Artūras Karnišovas expressed desire to retain Josh Giddey and Coby White long-term. Giddey is RFA. White is extension eligible but has outplayed contract and likely headed to UFA in 2026."
Bringing Giddey back—and hopefully restructuring or extending Coby White's soon-to-be expiring deal—is one of many moves Karnisovas intends to make this offseason. While he was encouraged by what he saw this year (much to the chagrin of most of the Bulls fan base), he acknowledged there are improvements to be made.
EVP of Basketball Ops Artūras Karnišovas reflects on the Bulls season:
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) April 17, 2025
"We will look at every opportunity to improve this roster. But I think we took the right steps with this group, and I think we're on the right path." pic.twitter.com/0fmjpbe3WH
Back in October, it was reported that Giddey and his team were looking for a new deal in the range of $30 million. That was before he really hit his stride late in the year. In his 19 appearances post-All-Star break, Giddey was putting up All-Star numbers with 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.
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His shooting line of 50/46/81 was also very impressive, so Giddey is likely now looking at a long-term extension in the $40 million range—at least. If Chicago doesn't want the 2024-25 season to go down as another waste of a year, they would do well to re-sign Giddey and start building around the Australian, as well as guys like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
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