The Big Question: Is Josh Giddey the Plan or the Next Asset…

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Tuesday, October 6

Josh Giddey is Chicago's highest-paid player and the stated engine of its offense, but last season's 31-51 finish has at least one Chicago columnist arguing the Bulls should trade him anyway. The front office's actual moves this summer point the other way.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

The case for him. Giddey averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists over 54 games last season, shooting 36.4 percent from three at age 23. He carries the largest contract on the roster, $25.0 million, and the front office still calls him the engine of an offense built to run through him.

The case against. Chicago finished 31-51 last season with the league's 25th-ranked offense and 22nd-ranked defense out of 30 teams, numbers Giddey alone could not fix. Pippen Ain't Easy's Tyler Watts wrote this week that the Bulls should trade Giddey even if it makes the Caruso swap look worse in hindsight.

Sun-Times frames it differently. The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley wrote this week that Giddey knows "a thing or two" about rebuilding, placing him inside the project rather than past it. That's one outlet's read, not a front-office statement, but it shows how little job security a 31-win season bought anybody.

What the front office built instead. Bryson Graham's staff added Nic Claxton and signed Norman Powell this offseason, then traded Rob Dillingham to Charlotte for Buddy Hield. None of those three is a lead ballhandler who threatens Giddey's job running the offense. If the plan were to replace him, those are the wrong pieces.

The picks say patience. Chicago owns every one of its own first-round picks through 2030 and owes only its 2027 second-rounder, to Oklahoma City. That is not a front office hoarding draft capital to flip its best player. It reads like patience, not a countdown clock on Giddey's time here.

Hawkins in, Stevens out. The roster kept turning over regardless: Jordan Hawkins joined on a two-way deal worth $7.0 million on Oct. 6, a day after Isaiah Stevens left the team. Neither move touches the backcourt spot Giddey already owns, and neither changes the math on him.

Where this lands. Chicago traded away a defensive stalwart to get Giddey, spent this summer surrounding him with complementary vets instead of a rival ballhandler, and kept the draft capital it would need to move him. The front office's actions, not one columnist's argument, say Giddey is the plan, not the trade chip.

On deck The Bulls open preseason Oct. 7 against the Suns, then host the Grizzlies on Oct. 9 and visit the Nuggets on Oct. 11.

Will the Bulls trade Josh Giddey?

Nothing in Chicago's recent moves points that way. The front office added complementary veterans instead of another ballhandler and kept every one of its own first-round picks through 2030.

What is Josh Giddey's contract with the Bulls?

Giddey carries a $25.0 million salary this season, the largest on Chicago's books.