Josh Giddey wasn’t going to get caught up in the uncertainty.
If anything, the Bulls guard was going to embrace it.
In his final presser of the 2025-26 campaign last month, Giddey had already seen the front office that acquired him sent packing, was surrounded by a locker room full of free agents, and knew there was a good chance that coach Billy Donovan was walking.
Rather than stress about it, however, he chose the path of “control what you can control.”
Good, because that might very well be tested this offseason.
Fresh off of right ankle surgery, Giddey is once again floating out there in the rumor mill, specifically if the new front office – led by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham – will remain invested in the 23-year-old.
But the reality that many like to overlook is the Bulls may not have a choice.
Forget the fact that Giddey did have a minor ankle procedure and is shut down from basketball activity until August. He’s also guaranteed $75 million through the 2028-29 season. In an offseason where very few teams have extra money laying around, Giddey could be acquired for a few bad contracts and some draft assets, but again, he’s more of a finishing piece for a team that has the right players in place around him – specifically on the defensive end.
“There’s always those kinds of questions, and you wonder what moving forward looks like, but as I said our job as players is to go out there and win games, that’s what we’re paid to do,” Giddey said recently. “So with respect to the things that are happening upstairs, our job is the same and it doesn’t change. That’s the way we kind of got to approach it.”
What Graham has on his side, and has said as much, is he can slow-play this. Even if the Bulls land a lead guard in next month’s draft, there’s a maturation process that a player will need to go through. A Giddey trade can be revisited at the February trade deadline or next offseason.
And who knows, Giddey could always continue to grow on both ends of the floor like he has since becoming a Bull. He posted career highs in scoring (17 points per game), assists (9.1 per game) and rebounds (8.3 per game) last season, and had some serviceable moments on the defensive end from a team standpoint.
So is this new regime committed to Giddey? Are they really committed to any player sitting in the guard room?
GUARD BREAKDOWN
WHAT THE BULLS HAVE: Giddey, Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham, Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Yuki Kawamura, Mac McClung.
WHO COULD BE ON THE MOVE: Considering it’s a new regime and soon-to-be new head coach, no Bulls guard should look to buy real estate long term. Realistically, at least half the backcourt players will be elsewhere.
Simons is a free agent and said he wanted to return but Graham is looking for a slow build done the right way. That means Simons and Sexton will likely be allowed to walk.
Giddey signed a four-year extension last summer, while Jones also inked a deal that pays him a very team-friendly $16 million over the next two years. Dillingham is still on a rookie contract and did have a few flash moments after coming over from Minnesota.
Kawamura and McClung were two-way deals, and while they were wildly popular, they are very replaceable.
THE DRAFT: This is everything for Graham and the Bulls, holding the No. 4 and 15 picks in the first round. The way it mocks out right now, the Bulls will likely add to the frontcourt with No. 4, but what if guard Darryn Peterson drops to them? It’s too much talent to pass up.
There will be at least seven guards in play after pick No. 4 so there is a chance the Bulls can address the backcourt at No. 15 if they do go big early. The guard to keep an eye on there is Baylor’s Cameron Carr, who stood out combine week.
FREE AGENCY: Graham doesn’t just have draft assets but cap room to spend. That doesn’t mean the Bulls will be in the running for splashy free agents like Austin Reaves or C.J. McCollum. They don’t fit where the team is or what Graham wants.
A piece like a Peyton Watson makes more sense but only if the price is right. There will be no shortcuts.
WILDCARD PREDICTION: The Bulls land Carr with pick No. 15 but also need a veteran player that checks the box for being a two-way player. Ayo Dosunmu, welcome back home! With only a handful of teams looking to spend some money this summer, the Bulls grab Dosunmu to help with the rebuild after Minnesota can’t afford to bring him back.