Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls haven’t made any progress on contract talks since the team presented a four-year, $80 million offer to the restricted free agent at the start of the offseason on June 30th. Giddey’s camp continues to seek a deal with an annual average closer to $30 million.
“Will Giddey sign the qualifying offer?” said Jake Fischer. “That is his threat. That is his leverage right now over the Chicago Bulls.”
The Bulls remain adamant they will not entertain sign-and-trade scenarios for Giddey. Some teams do have interest in Giddey, but the Bulls are not engaging them at this time.
“Chicago doesn’t want to lose Josh Giddey at all,” said Fischer. “They’ve been telling other teams, they’ve been telling agents since the combine, that they are not interested in having any discussion whatsoever with Josh Giddy. They value Josh Giddey. They traded Alex Caruso straight up for Josh Giddey when they had offers from various teams over the years for multiple first-round picks for Alex Caruso. That’s how much they value Josh Giddey. They see him as a major focal point of their roster moving forward. But they are not going to engage in any sign-and-trade scenario, and they’re not really going to move off their offer. So this is a holding pattern.”
Giddey appeared in 70 games with the Bulls last season, averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists.