Conversations that imply the Chicago Bulls overpaid to re-sign Josh Giddey can come to a sudden close after Jonathan Kuminga re-signed with the Golden State Warriors for an almost identical annual salary. It's a development that was months in the making and anticlimactic in the end.
More importantly, it was confirmation of the fact that re-signing a young, talented, and productive wing will inevitably cost a team in the range of $25 million per season.
Chicago re-signed Giddey to a fully-guaranteed four-year, $100 million contract. It was a somewhat controversial decision, as some praised it as a fair deal based on his youth, talent level, and production, while others claimed it was an overpay for a player who was traded by a contender just one year ago.
Those accusations lost a degree of credibility when Kuminga signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract with the Warriors.
Breaking: Ending a summer-long stalemate, Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract to return to the Golden State Warriors, agent Aaron Turner told ESPN. The deal has a team option designed for the contract to be ripped up and renegotiated next summer. pic.twitter.com/Xnklx7O0DD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2025
There are unavoidably disparate circumstances, but with a difference of just $750,000 in annual salary, it's clear that $25 million is the going range and rate for a productive wing who's under 25.
Jonathan Kuminga contract proves Bulls paid fair value for Josh Giddey
Clearly, Kuminga is in a different boat as a player who signed a two-year deal that includes a team option. By agreeing to return at a rate of $24.25 million per season, however, he's effectively set the market for his next deal.
It's widely believed that Golden State will look to trade Kuminga during the 2025-26 season and that the team option they included is meant to enable his next team to negotiate a new deal with him.
It's difficult to imagine a scenario in which a franchise trades for Kuminga in 2025-26 and ultimately attempts to pay him less than he just signed for. As such, the four-year, $100 million contract that Giddey recently landed is likely to mirror the minimum asking price that Kuminga puts forth.
With this in mind, it's fair to believe that the Bulls gave Giddey the exact type of money that a player with his youth and talent level would've ultimately commanded elsewhere.
Giddey, 22, is coming off of a season in which he proved to be Chicago's most well-rounded player. He averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 offensive boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 three-point field goals made on a solid slash line of .465/.378/.781.
Giddey was first on the Bulls in assists and steals per game, second in rebounds, third in points and offensive boards, and fourth in three-point field goals made.
Furthermore, Giddey reached a star-caliber level of play in 2025. In 25 appearances after Feb. 1, he averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 2.2 offensive boards, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 three-point field goals made while compiling an extraordinary slash line of .491/.451/.801.
Giddey needs to prove he can sustain that quality and production across a full season, but if he manages to, he'll not only be worth the money but unavoidably underpaid.