Josh Giddey wasn’t going to get caught up in the uncertainty.
If anything, he was going to embrace it.
By the time of his final news conference for the 2025-26 season last month, Giddey had seen the front office that acquired him dismissed, and he had been left with a locker room full of free agents. He also knew there was a good chance coach Billy Donovan was walking.
Rather than stress about it, however, he chose the path of “control what you can control.”
That philosophy might be tested this offseason.
Fresh off surgery on his right ankle, Giddey, 23, is once again floating out there in the rumor mill. Will the new front office — led by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham — remain invested in him?
The reality that many like to overlook is the Bulls might not have a choice.
Yes, Giddey had a minor ankle procedure and is shut down from basketball activity until August. But he’s also guaranteed $75 million through the 2028-29 season. In an offseason in which few teams have money to spare, Giddey could be acquired for a few bad contracts and some draft assets, but, again, he’s more of a finishing piece for a team that has the right players in place around him — specifically when it comes to defense.
“There are always those kinds of questions, and you wonder what moving forward looks like, but, as I said, our job as players is to go out there and win games; that’s what we’re paid to do,” Giddey said recently. “So with respect to the things that are happening upstairs, our job is the same, and it doesn’t change. That’s the way we kind of got to approach it.”
Graham has an advantage and has said as much. He can slow-play this. Even if the Bulls land a lead guard in the draft next month, there’s a maturation process that a player will need to go through. A Giddey deal can be revisited at the February trade deadline or next offseason.
And, who knows, Giddey could always continue to grow as a player, which he has done since becoming a Bull. He had career highs in scoring (17 points per game), assists (9.1) and rebounds (8.3) this season and had some serviceable moments defensively from a team standpoint.
So is this new regime committed to Giddey? Is it committed to any Bulls backcourt player?
Guard breakdown
WHAT THE BULLS HAVE: Giddey, Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham, Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Yuki Kawamura, Mac McClung.
WHO COULD BE ON THE MOVE: Considering it’s a new regime and a soon-to-be new coach, no Bulls guard should look to buy real estate for the long term. Realistically, at least half the backcourt players will be elsewhere.
Simons, a free agent, said he wanted to return, but Graham is looking for a slow build done the right way. That means Simons and Sexton likely will be allowed to walk.
Giddey signed a four-year extension last summer, and Jones also signed a deal that pays him a team-friendly $16 million over the next two years. Dillingham is still on a rookie contract and had a few flash moments after coming over from the Timberwolves.
Kawamura and McClung were two-way deals, and while they were wildly popular, they are very replaceable.
THE DRAFT: This is everything for Graham and the Bulls, who hold the Nos. 4 and 15 picks in the first round. The way it mocks out right now, the Bulls likely will add to the frontcourt at No. 4, but what if guard Darryn Peterson drops to them? It’s too much talent to pass up.
There will be at least seven guards in play after pick No. 4, so there is a chance the Bulls can address the backcourt at No. 15 if they do go big early. The guard to keep an eye on there is Baylor’s Cameron Carr, who stood out during combine week.
FREE AGENCY: Graham doesn’t just have draft assets; he also has cap room. That doesn’t mean the Bulls will be in the running for splashy free agents such as Austin Reaves or C.J. McCollum. They don’t fit where the team is or what Graham wants.
Peyton Watson makes more sense, but only if the price is right. There will be no shortcuts.
WILD-CARD PREDICTION: The Bulls land Carr with the 15th pick but also need a veteran two-way player. Ayo Dosunmu, welcome back home! With only a handful of teams looking to spend some money this summer, the Bulls grab Dosunmu to help with the rebuild after Minnesota can’t afford to bring him back.