Josh Giddey is staying in Chicago for the long term.
The Bulls have reached an agreement to re-sign the 22-year-old point guard to a four-year, $100 million contract, sources confirmed to the Tribune on Tuesday. ESPN first reported the deal.
The deal with Giddey, who was a restricted free agent, serves as the cornerstone of executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas’ plan to reconstruct the roster around young talent. The Bulls spent more than two months in negotiations with Giddey’s representatives, who were aiming for a slightly larger payday despite always intending to keep him in Chicago.
Giddey suffered through a rough introduction to Chicago after arriving from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade for Alex Caruso last summer, but he closed the season on a hot streak, averaging 21.2 points and 9.3 assists (against 3.4 turnovers) while shooting 45.7% from 3-point range in 19 games after the All-Star break. He finished the season with 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game.
“The start obviously wasn’t where I wanted it, but as the season progressed, I started to find my feet within the team a little more,” Giddey said during exit interviews in April. “As the season went on, confidence grew and it grew as a team as well. I thought we finished the year the right way.”
Entering his fifth season, Giddey is still finding his role with the Bulls and in the NBA. At 6-foot-8, the Australian native often labels himself as a “point forward” instead. He spent much of last season adjusting his style of creating his own shots, deprioritizing his midrange game and working to rebalance his assist-to-turnover ratio.
Bulls guard Josh Giddey grabs a rebound against the Heat on April 9, 2025, at the United Center. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)
The improved 3-point shooting late in the season showed a promising glimpse of how Giddey could operate as an engine for the Bulls offense in future seasons.
Giddey faces one major challenge in his development — becoming a passable defender. Despite his length, defense never has been a strong suit. The issue came to a head during a Nov. 15 game in Cleveland when Giddey was benched after playing only 15 minutes as the Cavaliers pummeled him in mismatches and targeted him with screens.
After that game, Giddey made an emphasis on improving his defense enough not to present a liability. But his limitations on that end of the court still could hamper the Bulls without significant improvement next season.
“I’m not delusional,” Giddey said. “I’m never going to be an elite lockdown defender. But it’s just about effort and trying and wanting to do it on that side of the ball.
“From that point on (after the Cleveland game), I tried to make an emphasis that nothing like that was going to happen again. It’s not going to be perfect — you’re going to get blown by, you’re going to miss box-outs or rotations — but it’s a matter of effort and wanting to do it every possession down the floor.”
With Giddey agreeing to a deal, the Bulls have homed in on their vision at point guard. The front office traded Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers in July, paving the way for Giddey to fully take over the role for the foreseeable future.
But the backcourt remains somewhat cluttered as the Bulls attempt to strike a balance among Giddey, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, in addition to deeper-rotation guards such as Tre Jones and Jevon Carter.
This season will be crucial for the backcourt as the Bulls prepare for another re-signing negotiation — this time with White, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Originally Published: September 9, 2025 at 2:34 PM CDT