The excitement level at the United Center on Thursday night was off the charts.
Made possible by Coby White and Josh Giddey once again stealing white horses from the opposition, only to ride in and save the day for the suddenly surging Bulls.
But elation wasn’t the only thing to skyrocket in the wake of the miracle comeback against the star-laden lineup of the Lakers. The eventual asking price for the backcourt duo continued to jump up to a higher tax bracket.
That’s becoming the reality that the Bulls front office will need to address and do so sooner than later.
Giddey is a restricted free agent this summer, while White will play out the final year of his deal next season, making a ridiculously team-friendly $12.9 million.
That’s all going to change for the team’s suits.
The Sun-Times reported in the fall that Giddey and his representation were hoping to get an extension that was similar to Orlando’s Jalen Suggs, which was a five-year, $150.5-million deal. Suggs was selected No. 5 overall in that 2021 draft, and Giddey went right after him at No. 6 to Oklahoma City, so the slotting would make sense.
The reality of the situation, however, did not.
Giddey was coming off a disappointing playoff showing against Dallas in which he was exposed defensively and eventually lost his starting job, before the Bulls acquired him for Alex Caruso. In the eyes of his new organization he was in a prove-it-first situation.
The talks were tabled, and it looked like the Bulls would be in the driver’s seat when Giddey was inconsistent out of the gate the first few months, finding himself on the bench late in close games at times because of his deficiencies.
Fast forward to the dramatic win over the Lakers in which Giddey hit the 47-foot game winner at the horn, and it’s become obvious how much has changed.
Not only is Giddey finishing games but he’s drawing the toughest backcourt defensive assignments, admittedly now understanding what type of energy he needs on that side of the ball.
“I think a lot of defense is just how hard you want to try at it,” Giddey said recently. “It sounds kind of corny, but it really is the truth.”
And lately so are Giddey’s numbers.
Since Zach LaVine was traded to the Kings on Feb. 2, Giddey has averaged 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, shooting 51.1% from the field and 48.9% from three, while also leading the team with 1.5 steals per game on top of it.
The cherry on top? His 47-foot prayer was the longest game-winner in franchise history since distance stats were kept in the 1996-97 season.
What that could mean for Giddey this summer is even if the Bulls do allow him to test the open market – because he is restricted, they can then match any offer – $28-$30 million per year now looks realistic. The front office could always gamble that he won’t get much of an offer because there’s not many teams that can afford him and fit that profile, but then they have a very unhappy player moving forward.
As far as White, like Giddey he has taken a huge jump, specifically the last month. The combo guard came out of the Lakers win averaging 29.5 points per game for the month of March, winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week in consecutive weeks.
If this is the new norm for White, who is still 25, pencil him in for at least $40 million per year by the start of the 2026 season.
There’s the rub. The Bulls could be paying $70 million-plus for a starting backcourt in which neither player has been an All-Star up to this point. A recipe for continued mediocrity.
For now, however, enjoy what the two players are doing. But a bill is coming and it’s definitely going to be C.O.D.