Chicago Bulls Vs Milwaukee Bucks Odds, Picks, Moneyline NBA 2024-2025 Season 10/25/2024 11 Oct 14, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) looks for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

'Chicago Would Actually Make Some Sense' – Chicago Bulls Named as Viable Free Agent Destination for Breakout Philadelphia 76ers Guard

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 9:11 AM ET

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton recently floated the idea of the Chicago Bulls pursuing one of the top restricted free agents on the market in Quentin Grimes , who is coming off a breakout campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Chicago Bulls are in the middle of negotiating with Josh Giddey’s new contract, and Pelton suggested the team could use the non-taxpayer midlevel exception to offer Grimes.

“Like Giddey, Grimes’ performance jumped after the All-Star break, in this case because of a trade to a Sixers team playing without stars Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey because of injuries. Grimes averaged 21.9 points on strong efficiency (.592 true shooting percentage) along with 4.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 28 games with Philadelphia,” Pelton wrote in his column.

Philadelphia 76ers Make 1 Big Tyrese Maxey Announcement Before Home Game Vs. Miami Heat 3 Mar 17, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) reacts after making a basket during overtime against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“Most of the teams that have the midlevel available don’t have a need for Grimes. Chicago would actually make some sense, but the Bulls are busy dealing with Giddey’s restricted free agency,” he concluded.

Chicago Bulls Rumors: Extension talks with Josh Giddey have reportedly stalled, claims analyst

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently said on NBA Today that the Chicago Bulls and Josh Giddey have yet to gain traction toward a new contract. Kevin Pelton also indicated the same thing in his recent article.

Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin (30) defends against Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

“Unless the Brooklyn Nets decide to extend Giddey an offer sheet, we might be looking at a stalemate,” Pelton reported. “Giddey’s strongest leverage is playing this season for his $11.1 million qualifying offer, but that would mean leaving a lot of guaranteed money on the table. Unlike Patrick Williams’ restricted free agency last year, Chicago doesn’t seem inclined to negotiate against itself this time.”

In his first full season with the Chicago Bulls, Giddey emerged as a franchise cornerstone with his solid playmaking, having averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on 46.5 percent shooting from the field across 70 regular season games.