NBA Notes: Bulls, Josh Giddey, Knicks, Guerschon Yabusele, Heat, Kel’el Ware

Bulls

The Bulls and restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey are engaged in what has been described as “good dialogue” early in free agency, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, despite the optimistic tone, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Giddey’s camp remains firm in its stance. Cowley reports the 22-year-old guard is seeking a deal comparable to the five-year, $150 million extension Jalen Suggs signed with the Magic last fall. That figure, $30 million annually, has been the consistent target for Giddey since at least October, per multiple reports.

And to be fair, he may have played his way into that conversation.

After a slow start to his Bulls tenure, Giddey caught fire down the stretch. Over his final 19 games of the season, he averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 50 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from beyond the arc and 80.9 percent at the line. The Bulls won 12 of those games, and Giddey looked every bit the part of a franchise point guard.

His full-season numbers — 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 46.5 percent shooting overall and a career-best 37.8 percent from deep — back that up.

Even so, Giddey may not find the kind of bidding war he hoped for. With limited cap space across the league and few teams in position to make significant offers to top restricted free agents, Chicago can afford to play the long game. There is no urgency to overextend, and the leverage may currently reside with the Bulls’ front office.

For now, both sides are talking. Whether that leads to a deal near Giddey’s desired price point remains to be seen.

Knicks

The Knicks entered the 2025 offseason without much wiggle room financially, but that didn’t stop them from landing a pair of contributors in veteran guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Guerschon Yabusele, two players who figure to crack new coach Mike Brown’s rotation.

Yabusele, 29, had drawn interest from the Nuggets, Spurs, and Bucks before ultimately agreeing to a two-year, $11.7 million contract with New York. The deal marks a return to the Eastern Conference after a solid campaign with the 76ers, where he was thrust into a prominent role amid a wave of injuries.

Speaking with SKWEEK TV, Yabusele pointed to the Knicks’ chemistry and culture as deciding factors in his free agency choice.

“There’s a couple of teams we played against, and I was looking at them like, ‘Oh my God, this team plays good together. They’re a good team,’” Yabusele said. “I could tell it’s a good group of guys — there’s no bad guys, no problems.”

The Knicks’ identity also struck a chord.

“I feel like their team really matches my DNA,” he added. “To fight, to play hard, to be the underdogs, to go and fight every night.”

After five seasons overseas, Yabusele returned to the NBA last year and made the most of his opportunity in Philadelphia. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 50.1% from the field and a respectable 38.0% from beyond the arc. He started 43 of 70 games for the Sixers.

Heat

Kel’el Ware’s name surfaced in trade rumors earlier this offseason as the Heat explored the possibility of landing Kevin Durant. But when it came down to negotiations, Miami drew a line, and Ware was on the protected side of it.

According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat refused to include Ware in any deal for the former Suns star, a stance that may have helped steer Durant toward Houston instead. For Ware, the message from the organization was clear. Now it is about living up to it.

“It made me feel the Heat wanted me and they want to see how far I can get in the future and see how my development goes,” Ware said. “That makes me want to show them what I can do and how far I can go. They see the potential in me and they see what I can be. So my main goal is to just sort of repay that they didn’t make a mistake.”

Miami selected the 7-foot center with the 15th pick in the 2024 draft, and he delivered a promising rookie campaign. Ware averaged 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in his debut season, initially coming off the bench before earning a spot in the starting lineup next to Bam Adebayo.

Once inserted into the starting five, Ware raised his level of play. Across 40 combined starts in the regular season and playoffs, he posted averages of 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

The Heat are betting on internal growth, and keeping Ware out of the Durant sweepstakes was a clear signal that the front office sees long-term value in the 20-year-old. Now, with another summer of development ahead, it is on Ware to prove them right.