The Chicago Bulls have one crucial piece of business left to deal with. While they could still trade Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, the real action centers on Josh Giddey. Everybody knows the Bulls want to bring the point guard back and make him the central focus of their next retool. However, there is a problem: Giddey is a restricted free agent and seeking a new contract. Chicago has no problem locking him up to a long-term extension. That is the goal. As always, the problem is money.
Reports have indicated for weeks that the point guard wants somewhere around $30 million per year. He probably could've gotten it by now had the market been more favorable. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a large list of teams capable of making him an offer. The biggest threat was Brooklyn, and they bowed out after trading for Michael Porter Jr. That left the Bulls in a strong bargaining position. One would think they're seeking to bring him back on a more team-friendly deal.
In such situations, it leads to a standoff. In a recent stream, NBA insider Bobby Marks confirmed that the two sides are far apart.
Josh Giddey likely knows he is in a difficult spot.
The lack of other teams bidding for his services means the only way he can get the money he wants is by standing his ground. He is drawing things out, hoping the Bulls will get anxious and agree to something closer to what he wants. By the sound of it, the organization isn't budging. That isn't a surprise. Jerry Reinsdorf is a veteran negotiator and almost certainly isn't going to let his contract people hand out free money. Not when the Bulls have the leverage. This will be a game of chicken. Everything depends on how long Josh Giddey is willing to wait this out and whether the Bulls will meet him somewhere in the middle. Right now, it appears the two sides are dug in. We'll soon find out who blinks first.
