It was a negotiation.
It was always a negotiation.
So all the outside noise from out-of-touch websites and “insiders” about Josh Giddey and the Bulls organization being locked into some sort of cold war was just that – out of touch.
The Sun-Times reported in late July that both sides felt confident a deal would get done and both sides considered the dialogue civil throughout.
Giddey confirmed all of that with Bulls beginning training camp this week.
“Obviously when you hit free agency, restricted or unrestricted – I was restricted – rumors will start to circulate and for me I let my management and agent handle those sides of things with the front office here,” Giddey said. “So I tried to stay out of it. When there was something to know, I knew. My agent would tell me. Other than that there were never any bad feelings. It’s a negotiation, and that’s how it goes. It’s kind of the nature of the business.
“When the season ended, I knew that was going to happen. It’s a negotiation, so never any hard feelings. This is where I always wanted to be and now I’m locked in for another four years.”
Four years, $100 million to be exact, and consider Giddey one of the lucky ones.
Because of tight cap space and the new first and second apron penalties that are now reality, this was one of the worst offseasons to be a restricted free agent.
Ask Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas who opted to take the $6 million qualifying offer because of the stalemate he had with the Nets. Then there’s Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, who finally reached a two-year, $48.5 million deal late Tuesday night.
As for Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes? Still negotiating and it’s not going well.
What Giddey and the Bulls had going for them was they wanted each other. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas traded Alex Caruso for Giddey, so wasn’t going to let his new point guard just walk after one season.
And as far as Giddey was concerned, the move from Oklahoma City to the Bulls was just what he needed.
“It felt like home,” he commented.
Bad timing for restricted free agency around the league? Absolutely, but Giddey knew what the landscape was going to look like by the time last offseason even started.
“I guess with the cap stuff and the aprons it changes stuff, but I knew that coming out of the fourth year,” Giddey said. “I was always pretty comfortable that the deal was going to get done. The number and the years, that thing just takes time. Both parties have to come to an agreement on it and we did. Being restricted this year was probably a little different than other years, but this was my year, and I had to deal with it.”
The only business Giddey was concerned with now was the business of basketball.
In his final 19 games post All-Star break last season, Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from three-point range. A far cry from the guy that was unusable late in games months earlier.
In his opinion, Giddey as a Bull 2.0 is what can be expected. Why? Well, trading Zach LaVine last February, forcing Giddey into more of a leadership role, and now the security of the contract are major steps towards that.
“Everyone wants to play for that second contract. It’s part of being an NBA player,” Giddey added. “You want to extend your career. I was no different. The fact that it’s locked in now and I have four years where I don’t have to think about it is a pretty big weight off my shoulders because it was always kind of lingering.”