The Chicago Bulls are officially well-poised to cement their rebuild.
They have a new lead executive with a distinct vision in Bryson Graham. They have a rising young star in Matas Buzelis, and they have ample cap space to add to the roster this offseason if they see fit. When you toss in the 4th and 15th overall selections in this year's NBA Draft, things are certainly looking up in Chicago compared to how they seemed at the end of the season.
But Graham will have his work cut out for him over the next couple of months. As it stands, the roster has very little structure. The fit of some of the organization's long-term pieces still remain uncertain.
The most notable of these is Josh Giddey, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension with Chicago last offseason. Nothing should be off the table for Graham and the Bulls, and if they add a young guard at 15, they could quickly be seeking out a trade partner for Giddey.
The uncomfortable reality is that there might not be one— at least not one that fetches the price the Bulls would likely be seeking.
Josh Giddey's trade market would likely be tepid at best this offseason
For a team attempting to build from the ground up, maximizing value in trades, even with minimal leverage, is paramount. If the Bulls are going to move on from Giddey, it can't simply be a salary dump— the deal must bring some sort of value back to Chicago.
Giddey has taken strides both as a playmaker and a shooter since his arrival with the Bulls. Over the past two seasons, he's averaged 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 37.1% from 3-point range. He also has excellent size for a guard, and his rebounding numbers reflect that.
But his defensive struggles against quicker guards combined with his lack of dominant scoring upside will certainly affect his trade market. There's too many questions about whether his game can contribute to winning basketball for teams to be clamoring for his services.
There might be suitors, of course. A team like the Houston Rockets could be in play depending on how they view Fred VanVleet's role moving forward. But what would the ultimate price on Giddey be? Even with the improvements he's made over the past couple of seasons, it would take an absolutely perfect fit for a team to make an offer that matches his salary, let alone to toss in any sort of significant draft capital as well.
It's unlikely Giddey gets moved this offseason in spite of the swirling trade rumors. Graham will likely want to see how things play out on the court, and Giddey's set at a reasonable annual value for the next three seasons. There's not necessarily an urgency here.
But as they map out how they want to build this team into the future, it's also unlikely that Giddey is a part of those plans. This offseason, therefore, Chicago must come to a realization, especially if they want to explore the market on Giddey in the short-term.
His value might be so volatile that it's simply better to hold onto him until the circumstances of the rebuild dictate his departure.
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