Josh Giddey is averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists this season – and the Chicago Bulls might still trade him anyway.
A mock proposal from Bulls Roundtable would send the 23-year-old and his four-year, $100 million contract to the Los Angeles Clippers, signaling how quickly roster calculus can shift under new front office leadership.
Bulls To Consider Josh Giddey Trade Amid Possible $100M Deal To Clippers
The deal constructed by Bulls Roundtable sends Giddey, the 2026 No. 15 pick, and a 2027 first-round pick swap to Los Angeles.
Chicago gets back Derrick Jones Jr., Isaiah Jackson, Kris Dunn, and critically, the 2026 fifth-overall pick.
This is not a salary dump. This is a front office reset – new Bulls leadership under Bryson Graham potentially clearing the deck to build around incoming talent rather than inherited contracts.
Giddey‘s numbers make the trade a genuinely difficult call. He shot 44.8% from the field and 36.4% from three this season, and over his final 30 games in 2024-25, he posted 18.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.8 assists while shooting .436 from three.
He also became only the second Bulls player ever to average at least 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in a season – the other was Michael Jordan.
That context matters. Giddey was the 2021 sixth-overall pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder, traded to Chicago in the deal that sent Alex Caruso to OKC in June 2024.
The Bulls rewarded him with that $100 million extension before the 2025-26 season even started – a deal that now looks like it could become a complication rather than a cornerstone depending on Graham‘s vision.
Michael Walton at Bulls Roundtable said: “Giving up a 2027 1st pick swap is bold, but if Graham and Co. truly believe in Keaton Wagler or Darius Acuff as a franchise-changing talent, pairing them with Matas Buzelis and (presumably) Caleb Wilson would give the Bulls an intriguing core of players with size and two-way ability.”
The logic tracks if the new front office has a genuine conviction about Keaton Wagler or Darius Acuff – but conviction about unproven rookies over a proven 23-year-old playmaker is a bold institutional bet.
Probability framing here sits around 35/65 against this trade happening as constructed. The draft capital cost is steep.
Sending out the No. 15 pick plus a 2027 swap alongside a player on a max-adjacent deal means Chicago is paying a significant exit tax to move a guy who just had his best statistical season.
The Knicks’ approach of protecting their core over chasing trades offers a useful counterpoint here – accumulating draft capital without burning existing assets is often the smarter rebuild path.
Bulls and Giddey Face Contract Issue
The real story runs parallel to this mock proposal. Graham‘s front office needs to decide whether Giddey fits the rebuild they are actually building – not the one the previous regime started.
Reports have framed the Bulls‘ original contract offer at around $80–88 million over four years, well below Giddey‘s camp’s $30 million per year ask, which means the signed deal represented genuine organizational commitment.
The broader NBA trade speculation landscape this offseason shows teams moving quickly once leadership changes.
Chicago acquiring the fifth pick in exchange for Giddey and draft assets would make sense only if Graham is convinced the incoming prospect class outperforms what Giddey‘s trajectory offers. Right now, that remains an open question – not a settled verdict.
Giddey at 23, improving every season, with near-triple-double production, is not a player most rebuilding teams move.
If the Bulls do pull this trigger, the draft picks going out had better hit.
