The improved play of Josh Giddey and Coby White has turned the Bulls into a much better team, but it also means both players will be in position to demand big contracts soon, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Giddey has been putting up All-Star numbers since Zach LaVine was traded to Sacramento last month. He’s averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game since the deal while shooting 51.1% from the field and 48.9% from three-point range. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, as he and the team were unable to reach an extension agreement after he was acquired in a trade with Oklahoma City last June.
Cowley observes that the Bulls are in position to let Giddey test the market and match whatever offer he gets because there are so few teams with significant cap room. However, they would be risking a strained relationship if he’s stuck with a below-market contract. Cowley estimates Giddey’s worth at $28MM to $30MM per season.
White has one season left on his deal at $12.9MM before entering unrestricted free agency in 2026. Cowley notes that he’s averaging 29.5 PPG in March with back-to-back Player of the Week honors and is likely to get at least $40MM in the first year of his next contract if he continues to perform at or near this level.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls could have tanked after trading LaVine and losing Ayo Dosunmu, Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones to injuries, but they’re playing their best basketball of the season. They’ve embraced coach Billy Donovan‘s extreme up-tempo style that puts constant pressure on opposing defenses, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “We’ve shown over the last month, six weeks, that we can compete with anybody,” Giddey said. “It’s just the way we play the game, I think it wears teams down. We get up and down. We run. We put heat on teams to get back, and a lot of veteran teams don’t particularly want to get back and play in transition, so we understand our game plan and our identity. When we stick to it, we’re a tough team to beat.”
- Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas offered some insight during an appearance on the broadcast of Thursday’s game, tweets KC Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. Karnisovas has been very happy with Jones, Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins, whom the Bulls received in the LaVine trade, saying the front office targeted young players with NBA experience and high basketball IQs. He added that the organization was determined to keep its first-round pick in 2025, along with future draft assets, and is pleased with how the younger players on the roster have developed. He said rookie forward Matas Buzelis needs to get stronger, but he’s humble and has a strong work ethic.
- Ball continues to make progress toward returning from a sprained right wrist, and Donovan indicated that he’ll be back in the rotation if he’s able to play again this season, Cowley adds in a separate story. “I get a little concerned with the minutes we’ve played some guys and the pace we’ve been playing, and with Coby, his minutes have been up there, so I think we need another backcourt player,” Donovan said. “I don’t know what the minutes restriction will be, but being able to plug him in and get him back into the fold will be good.”
Giving Coby White almost max money will surely haunt the Bulls for years
They could really use a player like Michael Jordan right about now
How do you assess Giddey’s value? He is a nightly triple double threat on a bad team, but his defense is exploitable on a championship contender. 6th men make $20M + Is 4/120m the right number?
5-175, would be my guess. White like 5-200
Could also see them trading one of those two to avoid paying them that much.
Add a legitimate big to their roster and they will be trouble.
A legitimate big you say? How about a center that averages 18.5/10 on a 50/40/80 shooting slash that’s due to make only $21 million next season? Would that be the kind of “legitimate big” you’re talking about?
Yeah, Vooch gets no love, lol. He’s always been solid. What they need are a couple 3 and D wings, and some bench scoring punch.
Vuc is not a winning player. His stats are empty, he is a terrible defender, and his stats are empty ones.
They were 1st in the entire league when ball got hurt a few years ago. He’s not a carry team guy but a perfectly acceptable 3rd option. A la Bosh.
Bulls need a true PF to play Buzelis (until he gets stronger) at the 3 and PWill as a tweener off the bench
Bulls as of now sit at the 11th pick. They finish the season with a top 10 pick.
Alabama PF Johni Broome right now is not even a top 10 pick. He’s the best 4 I see in the lottery. He is NBA ready now. He and Williams would make a nice front line. Both play D. Now Williams can play at his natural position. Boggles my mind a guy like Kon Knueppel is rated higher than him. Kon is a nice wing a real shooter. Not a better pro than Johni lols.
All Bulls fan at lottery should want him ……
“Wheres Johni” ……….
idk whats right or wrong w. this team anymore lmao
Bulls are an interesting team. I’m a gators fan, so I’ve always loved Billy Donovan, but it’s clear he’s really building something in Chicago. The end of that Lakers game the other night was absolutely insane. 95% of teams would have packed it in before that. Interesting to see where this team goes.
Gabe I’m definitely with you on Billy Donovan. He and the FO were on the right track until Lonzo Ball went down 2 seasons ago. Ball ran the team and was able to control Zacks involvement in the offense. That said, trading Zack, had to happen.
Giddey should be paid and kept as a building block, along with Coby, Ayo and Buzelis.
I’d use Williams as a trade chip to move up in the draft, IF THE RIGHT PIECE WAS AVAILABLE.
What do folks think Buzelis’ ceiling is? A better version of Jaden McDaniels? If Bulls nail this draft and how they handle their free agents (I know, thats a lot of wishful thinking), I’ll be pretty excited for their future.
I can see him reaching good Lauri Markkanen levels and I happen to like LM when he’s fully engaged quite a bit
Far as free agency you will only have a full MLE 14.1 mill as your big ticket item this summer and not many places to use it in a very weak forward market (Oubre yAbuselle types pass)
.. Summer of 26 is when the payroll really opens up for bigger moves
** If INDY wont pass the tax Id look to capitalize on the situation and jump in and take Toppin from them for probably only a 2nd rder or 2 (they’d be leveraged) ***New rule has the MLE avail to take in trades (w no money back) if less than MLE and Toppin barely squeezes under by about 100k making that situation eligible and enticing Imo
The payroll doesn’t open up. You aren’t accounting for giddey or White.
Chi currently has 125 Million in cap space summer of 2026-
They can do a lot of things with that besides those 2
Not a Donovan fan at all.
This draft is loaded. So Bulls can definitely add a player here. I just don’t trust this regime. The way they have handled talent last few years. Wish you the best Bulls fans. Josh Giddey is first team business they need to address. He’s a RFA and should get an offer. I wish Nets would make him an offer.
Hey Reinsdork, this team and your other team would look better somewhere in Tennessee