The Athletic is in the midst of conducting a wide-ranging poll, surveying 16 NBA Front Office Executives, prompting each one to deem a fair price for all four remaining noteworthy restricted free agents' contracts—Jonathan Kuminga, Cameron Thomas, Quinten Grimes, and, of course, Josh Giddey.
To kick off the poll, The Athletic began with Golden State Warriors' forward Jonathan Kuminga. Results varied, with answers ranging from $17 to $25 million per season. Thus, the mean average totaled $20.4 million.
The Athletic's poll paints Giddey in a favorable light
Perhaps most interesting, 10 of the respondents suggested three-year terms, rather than the traditional four, or even five-year pact. All in all, one respondent suggested a two-year deal, four said four seasons, and one proposed a five-year pact.
Participants weren't coy when discussing Kuminga. Various participants even mentioned Kuminga taking his $7.97 million qualifying offer, anticipating a more lucrative future payday. With reports suggesting Golden State isn't raring to re-sign the 6-foot-7 wing to a long-term pact, betting on himself may be the best option. Yet, the Warriors are toeing the line between past and present. Thus, re-signing their best prospect is a priority.
On the flip side, the Chicago Bulls are bracing for a future of the unknown. Fortunately, said future is void of bloated contracts. The Bulls' financials are positioned quite nicely moving forward, with Patrick Williams being the team's only player guaranteed a salary in 2027-28.
Therefore, coming to an agreement with Giddey's camp on his forthcoming contract is of grave importance in a different way than Kuminga and Golden State. Chicago's toeing the line of uncertainty, and it remains a question mark if Giddey truly is a foundational player.
According to the 16 front office executives, Giddey hasn't quite reached such a status. However, it's worth noting that the respondents placed Giddey in a tier above Kuminga, at least salary-wise. 14 of 16 participants proposed an average contract value between $20 and $25 million, with one executive suggesting $18 million per season, and a curmudgeon brazenly asserting the 22-year-old is worth merely $12.5 million per season.
Alas, Giddey's average rate came out to be $22.3 million per season, roughly $2 million north of Chicago's reported preference, and $8 million below Giddey's. Perhaps what's most intriguing is the terms of the proposed contracts.
In an era of flexibility, five respondents suggested three-year contracts, seven proposed four-year deals, and the rest recommended five years. It's notable that the executives were keen on long-term deals in this instance as opposed to Kuminga. One decision-maker even said, “Giddey is the anomaly because he might be good enough to be a four-year player."
Prior to reading The Athletic's poll, it's fair to assume executives would be similarly mum about Giddey's situation. The 22-year-old is a former sixth overall pick, but the warts in his game have often outweighed his vast potential. Yet, those around the league believe in Giddey. Even if it's not the $30 million per year he's so desperately seeking, it's a sigh of relief to hear of front office personnel anointing Giddey as a $22 million per-season player.