Bulls rumors: Josh Giddey’s contract demands surface

Josh Giddey is a restricted free agent, and there might be a gap in extension figures between Giddey and the Chicago Bulls.

Drafted sixth overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey was acquired by the Bulls last June in exchange for Alex Caruso. In his first season in Chicago, Giddey proved to be a valuable piece to the up-and-down team; he posted career-best numbers despite playing, on average, less with the Bulls than his previous two years in Oklahoma City. In addition to 14.6 points, Giddey had career-highs in rebounds (8.1), assists (7.2), steals (1.2), blocks (0.6), 3-point percentage (37.8%), true shooting percentage (57.0%), free-throw rate (28.1%), PER (18.1), and VORP (2.7).

Despite this, it appears Chicago is not too keen on extending the kind of deal Giddey reportedly wants.

“Bulls and Josh Giddey are having good dialogue, per a source, but the Giddey camp is dug in on the [Jalen] Suggs contract – $30 million per. Let the posturing continue,” the Chicago Sun Times’ Joe Cowley posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Suggs, who was selected one spot ahead of Giddey in the 2021 draft and who is almost 18 months older than Giddey, signed a five-year, $150.5 million contract extension with the Orlando Magic in October. The fully-guaranteed deal is front-loaded, meaning Suggs is set to make $35 million in the first year of the deal (this coming season) before earning $32.4 million, $29.6 million, $26.8 million, and $26.7 million per year from 2026 to 2030, respectively.

While obviously quite a burden for a team early in the deal, front-loaded deals can be of great benefit later on; in the Magic’s case, Suggs is expected to make less than 13% of the salary cap in 2029-30.

Although Giddey may not necessarily want that exact deal — he may just want the years and total value — it could be worth considering for the Bulls, who seemingly have little hope of being competitive in the Eastern Conference in the near future. If they managed to structure Giddey’s deal in such a way that he earns less than $30 million in his mid-20s, he could ultimately be very, very valuable either on the team or as a trade piece.

Additionally, and to his Giddey’s credit, he has a good case for making just as much or more than Suggs. In their four years in the NBA, Giddey, whose 6-foot-8 frame makes him an anomaly, has proven to be the better and more efficient scorer and a much superior playmaker and rebounder. Suggs, though, is considered to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, a distinction Giddey lacks.

Still, Giddey will almost certainly command a 10-figure deal with either Chicago or another team at some point in the near future.