The Chicago Bulls are in a new era with Bryson Graham in charge. Chicago is now going to try to change their fortunes under his regime. Landing the fourth overall pick should help jump-start their rebuild, as they drafted Caleb Wilson.
Chicago was finally bad enough to get one of the best picks in the draft. Their team is now built around Wilson, Josh Giddey, and Matas Buzelis. That young core is going to be the prism through which all decisions are made for the next two to three years.
However, the Timberwolves tried to trade for one of those young stars earlier this summer.
GettyChicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey drives the ball in a game. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Bulls Rebuffed Timberwolves’ Attempts to Trade for Josh Giddey
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Wolves tried to trade for Giddey before ultimately deciding to make a move for LaMelo Ball.
“The Wolves had talks with the Celtics about Jaylen Brown, the Milwaukee Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Chicago Bulls about Josh Giddey, according to team sources who granted anonymity so they could talk about sensitive negotiations,” Krawczynski wrote.
However, the Bulls didn’t let those talks go on for long. It seems that they shut them down pretty quickly, which is why Minnesota decided to move on.
“Giddey was another big guard to potentially pair with Edwards, but there was little traction on talks there,” Krawczynski noted.
Trading Giddey away would have been another big move for Chicago to make. They seem to be committed to having him run the offense, despite his lack of elite jump shooting. Trading him to Minnesota would have signaled a larger rebuild that would have Wilson as the true face of the franchise.
While Wilson will certainly become a big part of what the team wants to do, that would be a lot to put at his feet as a rookie. Giddey is still young, too. He is just 24 years old. Chicago feels comfortable putting the ball in his hands to run the offense, however.
GettyChicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey dribbles the ball in a game against the Timberwolves. (Photo by Tyler Clouse/Getty Images)
Chicago is Looking to Change its Fortunes
With Graham now in charge of the team, they are looking to have a different philosophy on building the team. The Bulls are not likely to make the playoffs next season. They are still trying to accumulate talent that can really give them a chance to compete in the postseason.
Giddey is a player that they want to continue to build around as a young, foundational piece. That is why they didn’t let the talks get very far with the Timberwolves. They made it pretty clear early on that they were not interested in moving him. Now, he needs to prove their faith in him was correct.
Last season, the Bulls had the sixth-worst offense in the NBA. If Giddey is going to be the leader of the offense, he has to make that number go higher.
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