Josh Giddey Thread 2.0

[Axl Rose]

What number did Giddey want - 30M/yr?

I thought it was 25m, which should be easy enough to offer at this point.

20m is a lowball. I think it'll be 25-30. We're in overpay territory after that.

[Guru]

Can anyone remind me of what happened with Lavine when he signed his offer sheet?

[Chi town]

Gottlieb is saying he wouldn’t go over 5/100 because we have all the leverage. He got really quiet when they mentioned the QO.

I think anything less than 30 is good. 25 or under is great.

[nomorezorro]

5/110, team option last year, playoff/performance bonuses that can get it to $120-125m

best i can do

[boozapalooza]

I see no real reason to pinch pennies or disrupt what is meant to be a healthy relationship between Giddey and the FO for years to come. Whether its 25M or 30M per year, whats the difference? I realize we are negotiating from a position of strength, but may not be worth pissing off Giddey and not having him be in a good spot mentally with our franchise. I’ll pay a few mil extra to have him charged up to be a cornerstone of our future. Hoping we can get a deal done today/tomorrow and start moving forward.

[FriedRise]

What number did Giddey want - 30M/yr?

I thought it was 25m, which should be easy enough to offer at this point.

20m is a lowball. I think it'll be 25-30. We're in overpay territory after that.

$25m isn't bad and he's worth that IMO, but I'd try to stay around there. Wonder if Bulls are closer to 20M; not the biggest gap to close to get to a number both sides are happy with, but Bulls have the leverage here. And we have a bunch of salaries expiring after this year, so it shouldn't be too hard to restructure if the goal is to stay under the tax.

We're used to seeing high numbers being handed out, but now with the new CBA we have to pull back and be more thoughtful about these contract numbers. Too bad they overpaid Pat by so much last year... that should've been closer to Coby/Ayo money.

[Red8911]

That picture Giddey posted most likely means they are close to a deal

[Red Larrivee]

I think there's a balance between not bidding against yourself and still taking care of your players. What Indiana just (reportedly) did with Turner is the opposite of that and what teams should avoid if they're serious about retaining key talent.

I think 20M is a lowball deal, but if Giddey signs for that then great. I still think 25M is fair for both sides and in line with what the market has shown.

[kodo]

Gottlieb is saying he wouldn’t go over 5/100 because we have all the leverage. He got really quiet when they mentioned the QO.
...

He doesn't have to accept the QO he can take a MLE. Dennis freaking Schroder got $15M, Giddey can get a full MLE for $14M. There are 23 non-tax paying teams, non tax payers get a $14M MLE. I would just take the 1 year and hit the next FA as fully unrestricted and with a 10% higher cap and sign for $30M+ long term anywhere outside of Chicago. You make back far more than the $6M difference in just 1 season. Jordan Poole and Jerami Grant made $30M in a much lower salary cap. $30M next offseason in a cap of $165M, these guys were signed for $30M when the cap was $120M.

$20M is too close to $14M you can get anywhere for Giddey to accept. Duncan Robinson got the MLE immediately.

[nomorezorro]

josh giddey is not good enough to be a "don't hurt his feelings during negotiations" guy. this team is not good enough to err on the side of Taking Care Of a still-unproven player who can't even sign anywhere else. zach lavine kept playing here for 6+ years after we made him go get an offer sheet, and the oversized second contract we gave him was a much bigger issue than him having sore feelings about RFA negotiations.

you have a rare confluence of events where you're totally justified in playing hardball with a player you want to retain because 1) nobody else can offer him the contract he wants 2) he hasn't shown he can produce at the level he wants to be paid at over a full season 3) the league-wide cap environment is clearly changing in a way that is making teams hesitant to spend the way they used to, which means there is a *non-personal* reason for us to be cautious about the contracts we hand out.

please take advantage of that and do not neuter your leverage because you're worried josh giddey might be sad about only making $100 million

[DrModesty]

I understand the optimism on getting him at a lower price because of current market forces, but if I am Giddey I am expecting Julius Randle AAV. That is the closest comparable player to sign this off season and Giddey has some good arguments to be paid better than Randle. He just saw Naz Reid and Jabari Smith get 5/125 and he is better than them and has a higher ceiling than them.

His qualifying offer is $11m. If the Bulls are offering him something below $25m he should take the QO and back himself to make up the shortfall within 2 seasons. Even in a bad case scenario where he stalls out or picks up a significant injury, a P-Will level offer would very likely be there for him next year where more teams have cap space. If he can rip off a season similar to post all star break and 37%+ from 3 then he is probably looking at 40ish per year. If he actually improves on the back end of last season he will be a max player.

If the negotiations get stuck in the high 20s then it is probably not worth the risk in taking the QO, but I'd be unhappy with the franchise in his shoes. He is not in the same situation as Kuminga (whose asking for $30m plus seems ridiculous). He looked like a future star in year 2. Then he looked like a future star again post Zach last season. He has started consistently, including on a 57 win team. He has shown regular improvement and played his best basketball most recently. He probably thinks he is worth Scottie Barnes money.

[Bulliever2020]

josh giddey is not good enough to be a "don't hurt his feelings during negotiations" guy. this team is not good enough to err on the side of Taking Care Of a still-unproven player who can't even sign anywhere else. zach lavine kept playing here for 6+ years after we made him go get an offer sheet, and the oversized second contract we gave him was a much bigger issue than him having sore feelings about RFA negotiations.

you have a rare confluence of events where you're totally justified in playing hardball with a player you want to retain because 1) nobody else can offer him the contract he wants 2) he hasn't shown he can produce at the level he wants to be paid at over a full season 3) the league-wide cap environment is clearly changing in a way that is making teams hesitant to spend the way they used to, which means there is a *non-personal* reason for us to be cautious about the contracts we hand out.

please take advantage of that and do not neuter your leverage because you're worried josh giddey might be sad about only making $100 million

100%

The landscape of NBA contracts has changed and it is more important than ever to get value out of each and every contract you hand out. We can't just be handing out extra millions so guys don't get their feelings hurt. This is a business and it needs to be handled that way with emotions pushed to the side. Bulls have all the leverage right now and need to use it. Very impressed by the FO apparently negotiating hard here. They definitely seem to have learned some lessons the hard way and are changing their approach. I applaud them for that.

[Red Larrivee]

josh giddey is not good enough to be a "don't hurt his feelings during negotiations" guy. this team is not good enough to err on the side of Taking Care Of a still-unproven player who can't even sign anywhere else. zach lavine kept playing here for 6+ years after we made him go get an offer sheet, and the oversized second contract we gave him was a much bigger issue than him having sore feelings about RFA negotiations.

you have a rare confluence of events where you're totally justified in playing hardball with a player you want to retain because 1) nobody else can offer him the contract he wants 2) he hasn't shown he can produce at the level he wants to be paid at over a full season 3) the league-wide cap environment is clearly changing in a way that is making teams hesitant to spend the way they used to, which means there is a *non-personal* reason for us to be cautious about the contracts we hand out.

please take advantage of that and do not neuter your leverage because you're worried josh giddey might be sad about only making $100 million

I have no issue playing hardball. I'd be thrilled if Giddey signed for a number that isn't in line with the market. I'm just saying that $20M shouldn't be the absolute highest the Bulls are willing to go if their goal is to retain Giddey.

If playing hardball to that degree causes him to take the QO and become unrestricted a year from now when more teams will have cap space, it's a lot more problematic. Especially given the way that we know AK is trying to build this team.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

30m is still great value.

[Chi town]

I think there's a balance between not bidding against yourself and still taking care of your players. What Indiana just (reportedly) did with Turner is the opposite of that and what teams should avoid if they're serious about retaining key talent.

I think 20M is a lowball deal, but if Giddey signs for that then great. I still think 25M is fair for both sides and in line with what the market has shown.

Me too

[GoBlue72391]

30m is still great value.

I really don't think it is, unless that end of the season run he had is real, and there's no way to know for sure. It's a big risk.

I would classify $30M more as "tolerable" than great value.

[DASMACKDOWN]

josh giddey is not good enough to be a "don't hurt his feelings during negotiations" guy. this team is not good enough to err on the side of Taking Care Of a still-unproven player who can't even sign anywhere else. zach lavine kept playing here for 6+ years after we made him go get an offer sheet, and the oversized second contract we gave him was a much bigger issue than him having sore feelings about RFA negotiations.

you have a rare confluence of events where you're totally justified in playing hardball with a player you want to retain because 1) nobody else can offer him the contract he wants 2) he hasn't shown he can produce at the level he wants to be paid at over a full season 3) the league-wide cap environment is clearly changing in a way that is making teams hesitant to spend the way they used to, which means there is a *non-personal* reason for us to be cautious about the contracts we hand out.

please take advantage of that and do not neuter your leverage because you're worried josh giddey might be sad about only making $100 million

I have no issue playing hardball. I'd be thrilled if Giddey signed for a number that isn't in line with the market. I'm just saying that $20M shouldn't be the absolute highest the Bulls are willing to go if their goal is to retain Giddey.

If playing hardball to that degree causes him to take the QO and become unrestricted a year from now when more teams will have cap space, it's a lot more problematic. Especially given the way that we know AK is trying to build this team.

To me if it ever comes to a Qualifying offer, Giddey is as good as gone.

We would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Then we will be instantly be looking for a PG that can play like Giddey. Because we all know Tre Jones would not be the answer.

Tre Jones is a bice backup but there is a reason why the Spurs kept looking and benched him. He is too small and limited. Much like his brother.

If we lose Giddey, we might as well drop mostly everyone too and start over. Because just about every player on the roster maybe outside Matas, is with Giddey in mind.

[Red Larrivee]

To me if it ever comes to a Qualifying offer, Giddey is as good as gone.

We would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Then we will be instantly be looking for a PG that can play like Giddey. Because we all know Tre Jones would not be the answer.

Tre Jones is a bice backup but there is a reason why the Spurs kept looking and benched him. He is too small and limited. Much like his brother.

If we lose Giddey, we might as well drop mostly everyone too and start over. Because just about every player on the roster maybe outside Matas, is with Giddey in mind.

Exactly. The QO offer isn't worth it if Giddey is willing to sign for 25M and you're hardlining at 20M.

[nomorezorro]

obviously i don't think you should let things get to the point where he's willing to take a cheap one year deal (via either the QO or an MLE offer sheet), but i also would not be particularly worried about it as a threat at this point in negotiations

this gets thrown out as a possibility any time a player of debatable value hits RFA, and it almost never happens because it is an incredibly risky proposition for the player. not only would they be turning down a bunch of guaranteed money, jeopardizing their big payday in the event of injury or continued cap crunch or other factors outside their control, but they would also make it so their team has a lot less incentive to give them a ton of playing time in what becomes a contract year that you *need* to cash in on.

maybe it's not particularly likely that we would cut giddey's minutes, but also the man was literally benched for poor play right before he got traded to us. even if you think there's a 5% chance of him having a cold stretch that affects his playing time...would you willing to roll the dice on how much money you would lose in that scenario?

[sco]

Read on Twitter

ChatGPT's read:

The tweet you’ve provided shows a screenshot from Josh Giddey’s Instagram story, reposted by a sports journalist. In the story, Giddey is wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey, seemingly celebrating, with a **single hourglass emoji (⏳)** overlaid.

Given your context — that Giddey is currently in contract negotiations with the Bulls — here’s a breakdown of what this post likely means, based on social media conventions and athlete behavior:

---

### Interpretation

**1. Hourglass Emoji (): “It’s just a matter of time”**

* This emoji is often used to indicate that something is imminent or pending. It implies that an announcement or decision is coming soon — not "if," but "when."
* In NBA circles, it’s commonly used by players during trade talks, free agency negotiations, or impending signings to tease fans or build anticipation.

**2. Giddey in a Bulls Jersey: Visual Commitment**

* Sharing an image of himself *in a Bulls uniform* strongly suggests that he either:

* **Wants to stay** in Chicago and is signaling his intent.
* **Has already reached an agreement in principle**, and this is a cryptic teaser before official word comes out.
* If this were uncertain or adversarial, he likely wouldn’t use a celebratory photo.

**3. Emotional Body Language: Confidence or Excitement**

* His clenched fist and facial expression suggest celebration or intensity — reinforcing the idea that he’s feeling positive or vindicated about whatever is coming.

---

### Conclusion (Expert Opinion)

Josh Giddey is likely **teasing that a deal with the Chicago Bulls is either done or very close**. The hourglass suggests “any moment now,” while the choice of a Bulls jersey and a celebratory image communicates confidence and alignment with the team.

This is a classic example of modern athletes using cryptic emoji language and curated imagery to build hype, control their narrative, and engage fans ahead of formal announcements.