The Chicago Bulls are excited about the new point guard they traded for over the summer, but they’ll have to pay a significant sum to keep him around past this season.
Josh Giddey and his representatives have reportedly announced that he expects a new contract after this season in the realm of $30 million per year, per Bleacher Report’s Taylyn Hadley.
“Newly acquired Chicago Bull Josh Giddey is seeking a minimum of $30 million annually in his next contract after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to sources cited by NBA insider Jake Fischer,” Hadley said on Saturday.
“There has been a surge in young guards seeking higher contracts following Immanuel Quickley's five-year, $175 million deal with the Toronto Raptors this past summer.”
“The 22-year-old Australian is currently on a four-year, $27 million contract, which the Bulls took over following the trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Thunder in exchange for Giddey.”
“Over his three seasons with Oklahoma, Giddey averaged 13.0 points, 5.7 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 31 percent from the three-point line.”
It would be shocking if the Bulls decided not to pay Giddey, especially after giving up such a good player to acquire him.
It seems like Chicago envisions Giddey as the team’s present and future point guard, although $30 million per year does seem a tad steep for a player who isn’t a reliable shooter.
Market value is what’s important for these contracts, however, and Quickley’s deal will be more relevant to negotiations surrounding Giddey than Giddey’s own skill set and value as a basketball player.
If a player like Quickley is getting paid $35 million per year, why shouldn’t Giddey receive the same kind of money? Isn’t Giddey just as good as Quickley, or better?
Those are the types of theoreticals that Giddey’s camp will be (rightfully) throwing around with Chicago (and/or other teams) as a deal comes into form.
Although a healthy Lonzo Ball might make Chicago think twice about paying big bucks to Giddey, there’s no way the Bulls are going to assume that Ball can stay healthy moving forward.
Giddey’s play this season will also play a role in the situation. If he’s terrible or gets injured, discussions could become more complicated.
Giddey is likely to play well. He is a good and potentially great playmaker who will be getting more opportunities this year to make plays than he ever did as a third or fourth fiddle with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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