Josh Giddey is the best free agent left, insider says

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus listed the 25 best free agents left after the first wave of signings. Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, DeAndre Ayton, and others are gone, but Josh Giddey is still available. He might be for a while if the negotiations don’t take a positive turn.

Still, Pincus believes Giddey is the best free agent left, even better than Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga. “Some trades are win-win, and while the Oklahoma City Thunder experienced the ultimate win after acquiring Alex Caruso from the Bulls, Chicago did well with Giddey,” Pincus began.

The Coby White/Josh Giddey combination worked well for Chicago down the stretch. He is big, has good playmaking skills, and has evolved as a shooter, shooting above 37% from three. “The question will be price and finding a viable number for both sides. The concern was that the Brooklyn Nets decide to chase Giddey with cap space, but the franchise drafted multiple point guards,” Pincus said.

Since the Chicago Bulls can match any team’s offer, no one wants to offer up a big enough deal to convince the Bulls to back off. As a result, a reunion is highly likely even now. Pincus predicted that the Bulls will retain Giddey in the $25-28 million starting range on a multi-year deal.

After reports that he’d get $30 million and other rumors that he might want more than that, a deal along those lines would be a win for Chicago, which currently has all the leverage in the surprisingly difficult negotiation process.