Executives reveal what Chicago Bulls should pay Josh Giddey

Out of all the restricted free agents who are having similar trouble as Josh Giddey (Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes), NBA executives are most comfortable paying Giddey a lot of money, according to Bleacher Nation. He has a higher pedigree and fewer concerns than the other two.

How much would that be, though? Not as much as he wants. The $30 million salary was nowhere to be found. 14 of the front office executives suggested a deal that carried an average annual salary in the $20-25 million range, not where Giddey wants to be.

One took it even lower, positing a deal with an $18 million AAV. Another shockingly suggested a deal worth $50 million over four years, which is less than half of what Giddey wanted when he initially hit restricted free agency. The average was $22.3 million per year, which would be appropriate.

Giddey has been a solid player, and he’s still just 22 years old. He also fit well with the Bulls, as he didn’t regress and, in fact, finished with a really strong run at the end of the season, averaging a double-double. He even improved his shooting from deep. The player is worth some money, just not a bank-breaking amount.

Nevertheless, Giddey isn’t going to settle unless he sees no other option. And right now, there are other options. Sign-and-trades are possible, and his agency has reportedly been looking into the options on that front. He can also sign the qualifying offer and hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 when teams theoretically have more cap space to sign him to a long-term deal at still just 23 years old. For now, that is why the two sides, who do want to stay together, are at a seemingly never-ending stalemate.