The brisk, yet exhilarating NBA free agency period has come and gone. Several teams made substantial upgrades, prying away key veterans from their rivals, while other franchises opted to stand pat for a myriad of reasons.
The Chicago Bulls are surely to be lumped into the latter category. The organization's only move has been the re-signing of Tre Jones, whom they acquired at the trade deadline, to a three-year, $24 million contract.
The Bulls and Giddey's rigorous negotiations remain ongoing
Nevertheless, the Bulls' transactions won't end there. Chicago remains embroiled in a contract standoff with restricted free agent Josh Giddey. The 22-year-old is a foundational building block moving forward, but with limited cap space league-wide, Giddey has no leverage in said discussions. Thus, Chicago's reported offers have routinely fallen $8-10 million per season short of Giddey's asking price.
Still, because of Giddey's unique situation as a restricted free agent, he won't be going anywhere. The Bulls have full control of the Aussie's future, at least for one more season if he ends up signing his one-year, $11.1 million qualifying offer.
Although the word "dispute" typically carries a negative connotation, the Bulls and Giddey's dispute is all a part of negotiations, at least according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley. Chicago wants Giddey back, and vice versa, but the restricted free agency conundrum is a predicament in itself. The rest of the marquee free agents also happen to be of the restricted variety—it's not only a Bulls or Giddey problem.
Yet, Giddey won't even be the Bulls' biggest free agent headache on their roster. There's another player on the squad who will be much more difficult to re-sign, considering he's vastly outplayed his current pact and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Coby White's looming contract won't be straightforward
That player is Coby White, the soon-to-be free agent who will earn less than the league average next season. White is slated to earn $12.8 million in the final season of the three-year, $36 million contract he signed in 2023. For reference, the league average this past season was $13.9 million.
It's far from a stretch to say White has exceeded expectations since signing the contract. He averaged 19.1 points in 2023-24, en route to narrowly being crowned the NBA's Most Improved Player. A year later, White took on greater responsibility as a shot creator. He averaged 20.4 points per game and upped his free-throw and drive rates.
At only 25 years old, White has yet to reach his prime. He's poised for a breakout campaign in 2025-26, and he knows it. According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, "There's already buzz of Coby White wanting even higher than that $30 million average annual figure that we keep talking about."
The Bulls have already balked at shelling out $30 million annually for Giddey, and will soon have to deal with White's lucrative request. Although it's fair to say both players are similarly impactful and worthy of $30 million, White's looming conundrum will be far more dangerous.
As previously stated, the North Carolina product will be an unrestricted free agent come next offseason. Chicago has no leverage in negotiations, especially after White signed a bargain-bin contract just two years ago.
While the Giddey stalemate has ultimately been a cause for concern, White's forthcoming negotiation will take the term dispute to another level. The Bulls are surely bracing to shell out an exorbitant contract, one that could even exceed $30 million per annum if White once again exceeds expectations in an alpha role next season.