From the first day that Bryson Graham took over the Bulls front office, the messaging has been clear: No one is untouchable on the roster. The narrative among many fans has been that every player who was previously on the team should be shopped, and that the most appealing of those players is Josh Giddey.
Hundreds of posts on social media were showcasing hypothetical Giddey trades. Saying Giddey doesn’t fit with the new timeline. Saying Giddey is nowhere near as important a part of the future as Buzelis or Essengue.
My question to all those fans is - Why?
Giddey is primed to return the Bulls to relevance
Yes, Giddey has been in the league since a young age, but it’s almost like it’s been forgotten that he’s only 23 years old. He has shown growth in his game every single year. Last season was the most confident he’s ever been in his three-point shooting. Who knows what aspect could be added to the team this year.
Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis are the future of this team. But neither of them are players that are going to be creating their own shot off the dribble in any sort of efficient way if they’re asked to be high-usage players. They need a facilitator like Giddey to set them up.
Giddey has the maturity to know his role on a developing team like this. He has improved greatly on defense each season, and there are signs his offensive game is going to get better year over year.
Giddey has increased his three-point rate over the past two seasons while also increasing his percentage. That's a remarkable feat for a guy who was once-viewed as a non-shooter. In addition, according to Basketball Reference, his assist rate last year was over 41%. The Bulls need that sort of facilitator to make life easy on their stars, who are even younger than Giddey.
And even though he has been viewed as a defensive liability, he has at least been in the green on defensive plus/minus for his entire time in a Bulls uniform, which should indicate he's not nearly as bad as some fans want to believe.
I would go as far as to say that Giddey is perhaps the ultimate fit for this team. He has the experience of a veteran point guard, but the age of a player that can still greatly add to his game. He’s provided excitement for a team in down years that has been desperately needed.
I’m not saying that Giddey can’t be moved for the right package (any player can be.) But there is no situation where the Bulls should be actively shopping the sort of guy who makes everyone else around him better, and still isn’t even 24 years old.
Let Giddey develop, and let him help the younger core develop around him. If the Bulls are going to be back in the playoffs within the next three or four years, Giddey can be a huge part of that process.
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