Chicago Bulls blasted for Josh Giddey decision amid $30 million contract rumor

In his write-up for ESPN following the Chicago Bulls trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that Josh Giddey had the potential to become an All-Star.

Giddey didn’t appear to be on his way to earning All-Star accolades in his early days with the Bulls in the fall. However, he’s been on a hot streak recently. If not for an injury Monday night, Giddey might have had a career-high in scoring.

He scored 26 points against the Miami Heat on Saturday and 29 against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

A $30+ million contract for Josh Giddey?

Brian Widhorst recently told ESPN that he believes Giddey is playing well enough to ask for a contract in the ballpark of $30 million, comparing a future deal to the one the Toronto Raptors gave Immanuel Quickley.

“Yeah, so this is the kind of play I thought we’d have all year,” Windhorst said of Giddey’s play in March. “His role was sort of limited early on. After the trades, they’ve opened up his role. This is the player he can be. The going rate for a starting point guard in the NBA is around $30 million. He is their starter.

“Now, if you look at a guy like Immanuel Quickley, who got five years and 162 million. That’s about 32 million a year a year ago. I’m sure Josh gets hoping for something like that. He’s not quite the score or the defender Quickley is so maybe slightly less.”

Why did the Chicago Bulls wait to give Giddey a larger role?

Windhorst thinks the Bulls front office will eventually try and work out a deal with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 draft. Windhorst took a shot at Chicago’s management by saying the team made a “puzzling” choice to give Giddey a limited role early in the season.

“It has been puzzling why they kept his role narrow early on,” Windhorst said. “I’m not sure if that was a long-term strategy play, but I know this. I will bet on Josh Giddey, and I will bet on him getting a very good contract, whether he gets it this year or he has to wait another year and end up as an unrestricted free agent.”

Hardball with Giddey?

Windhorst thinks the Bulls could play hardball with Giddey this summer.

“The question is going to be, if he doesn’t get an offer sheet, will the Bulls play hardball and make him come back on a one-year contract, or actually reward him because they have extended Lonzo ball, if they do see him as their point guard the future? And that’s why they traded Alex Caruso for him, then I would expect them to try to invest in him,” Windhorst said.

“This is the same situation they had with Patrick Williams on their team. He was a restricted-free agent. They signed him July 1 to a five-year-long contract. I expect them to try do something with Giddey.”

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