Bulls’ Josh Giddey Contract Is A Frustrating Gamble

On Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls agreed to sign 2021 No. 6 pick Josh Giddey to a rich four-year contract, making him their newest franchise cornerstone. Previous reporting revealed that the Bulls wanted to hold firm on a four-year, $80 million offer. However, they were unable to keep from blinking in the staredown, upping the amount by $8 million shortly after (h/t ESPN’s Bobby Marks). Less than a week later, they bent even further in the wind, offering Giddey $100 million.

Because Giddey was the principal piece in the trade that saw them send Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the eventual NBA champions, there’s no doubt that the Bulls front office was feeling the pressure to get this deal done. Additionally, he really is a dynamic player and coming off of a career season. Nevertheless, his development has been a roller coaster. Giving a player that kind of money, especially when they were basically bidding against themselves, is a frustrating gamble.

Bulls’ Josh Giddey Contract Is A Frustrating Gamble

At no point in time has Giddey’s ability to create for others been questioned. He’s a preternatural passer whose length, vision and basketball IQ allow him to operate as a primary playmaker with ease. All of that being said, he has had trouble being an effective scorer.

Unwelcome Weaknesses

It goes beyond the concerns with his outside jumper, though it’s an oft-discussed issue. He’s largely an under-the-rim athlete, dunking fewer than 10 times in three of his four career seasons despite being 6-foot-9. With that in mind, because of his underwhelming explosiveness, he can have trouble separating off the bounce. As a result of these limitations and his pass-first nature, he has only averaged over 15 points per game in one season and never averaged at least 20 points per game.

That’s even with him shooting 37.8 percent from 3 in 2024-25, his first season converting at least 34 percent of his 3s. In the end, Giddey can be effective from all three levels, even displaying tough shot-making. In fact, he’s a career 46.4 percent shooter from the field, so it’s not as if he has no touch.

He just doesn’t provide as much firepower as one would like. Just consider that he has scored 12.5 points per game or fewer in two of his four career seasons. For reference, Ty Jerome averaged 12.5 points per game in 2024-25 and was third in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Obviously, no team was out there trying to make Jerome their point guard of the future this summer.

Defensively, Giddey’s relative lack of athleticism also negatively affects him, though it’s due to his lateral agility rather than bounce. That and a lack of consistent focus have caused his defense to be so porous at the point-of-attack that it’s an even bigger problem than his jump shot. He does have redeeming qualities, like his size and defensive rebounding. Yet, he’s definitely not a natural at that end.

It’s No Better Than…

With his new contract, Giddey will be getting paid similarly to players like Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons.