The Chicago Bulls are wrapped up in one of the longest ongoing contract conundrums in the NBA. Restricted free agent Josh Giddey has yet to re-sign with the organization after an impressive inaugural season in the Windy City.
The Bulls notoriously sent All-NBA Defensive guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Giddey—a much-maligned trade at the time. Nonetheless, Giddey exceeded expectations in Chicago after a rocky start. The 6-foot-8 floor general averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game following the All-Star break.
Coby White is arguably the Bulls' best player
However, Giddey arguably wasn't even the best Bull despite stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. That distinction would go to 25-year-old Coby White, who, like Giddey, also suffered from a rocky start to his sixth professional campaign. White averaged less than 20 points per game in November, December, January, and February before erupting in March.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 27.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from long range in 15 appearances. Consequently, White won Player of the Month honors—a first in his six-year career.
White took over Chicago's primary scoring burden once Zach LaVine was shipped to Sacramento. Thus, leading to an increase in points production. Yet, White didn't immediately produce at a high level nor efficiently once LaVine was jettisoned.
White scored 20 or more points in three consecutive contests post-LaVine, but then, as the Bulls began to struggle, so did White. The former Tar Heel averaged 14.4 points and converted merely 36.0 percent of his field goal attempts and 24.5 percent of his triples in the final seven games of February.
Luckily for both the Bulls and White, he caught fire in March and followed it up with an incredibly efficient April. Although he saw a decrease in counting stats (22.0 points per game), White shot a blazing 54.4 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 97.1 percent from the charity stripe. White recorded a staggering 69.9 true shooting percentage in the season's final month.
Therefore, there's a tangible belief that White could very well lead the Bulls as the primary option moving forward. That is, assuming the Bulls can bring him back. White is entering the final season of the meager three-year, $36 million pact he signed in 2023.
White's looming contract will be a harsh reality
Of course, the North Carolina product is extension eligible this offseason, but only for four years and $89 million—a contract well below market rate for a primary scoring option. That leaves next offseason as the beginning of the negotiation period, akin to Giddey's situation from a year ago.
The Bulls will be forced to either pony up and re-sign White to a potentially monstrous deal or be prepared to let him walk for next-to-nothing after seven seasons in Chicago. It'll be a tough pill for the Bulls to swallow, yet one that they must come to terms with.
Chicago can’t approach White’s situation the way they’ve handled Giddey’s. The latter is a restricted free agent, while White will enter unrestricted free agency hellbent on earning a significant contract after signing at a discounted rate two years ago.