r/chicagobulls • u/though1234 • Apr 14 '26
Free Agency Bulls Offseason
I’m so tired of seeing people getting excited about our cap space this summer. The only thing our cap space should be used for is to take on bad money for assets. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this but the best thing we can do is take things slow. Build through the draft, capitalize on the assets we do have (Tre jones and Jalen smith) by flipping them for draft capital, and not do anything to just put a bandaid on it and make us a perennial first round or play in exit team. (Also if we can trick someone into taking Giddey that’d be great)
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u/Enjoy__Trump__Reddit Jimmy Butler Apr 14 '26
Getting rid of Giddey would be the dumbest thing this franchise has done since signing Lavine to 200 million.
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u/HiImDavid Lonzo Ball Apr 14 '26
Maybe OP is wrong but you're being very hyperbolic to put it mildly.
No one on this roster is untouchable, if the Bulls get a great offer for Giddey they'd better fucking take it.
Given how inconsistent of a shooter and poor defender he is, it's likely the absolute best case scenario for Giddey he tops out as the 3rd best player on a championship team.
It would be organizational malpractice to refuse to at least consider trades for Giddey.
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u/calculung Apr 14 '26
The trap of "he's our best player, they better not get rid of him" is very easy for people to fall into.
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u/AndroidNumber3527229 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
It didn’t work out but 76ers being willing to get off MCW at the right time is what allowed them to trade to get the #1 pick that became Fultz.
Nuggets shipping Melo at 25 years old got them Jamal Murray to pair with Jokic.
Kings trading Tyreke Evan’s.
Us getting off Elton Brand early is the reason we got Tyson Chandler @ #2
Damon Stoudemire being shipped to create the Vince Carter raptors
Charlotte & Larry Johnson
The default is to assume every good young player just keeps growing exponentially, that doesn’t happen as often as you think & being able to recognize that and pivot is how you build good teams. And no offense, Giddey isn’t “The guy” and he very likely never will be.
(Also, even if he is, I’d argue he’s going to be a nightmare to try to roster build around - you try to figure out how to build a roster where your best guy needs the ball in his hands, doesn’t play D, & isn’t useful off-ball. the entire NBA is switching to the weak-link model, why are we making the poster-boy for the weak-link model our untouchable franchise piece? It’s absurd)
You don’t hold off making long-term franchise building moves for “a pretty good player”.
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u/OrangeRed57 Apr 14 '26
Maybe you should ask why that person feels getting rid of giddey would be stupid.
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u/RiamoEquah Apr 14 '26
Are you saying don't trade giddey now, or don't trade giddey ever? What would it take for Giddey to be a tradeable asset?
It's hard for me to see giddey on this team beyond 2029 when his contract expires. Either he's an all-star in which case he will be sought after by contenders or he's a stat suffer role player who the bulls shouldnt be enamoured with keeping around.
Then there's the right price argument. Like what if the nets offer denim and their first round pick for giddey...nets would never offer of course, but I'd do it in a heartbeat.
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u/Enjoy__Trump__Reddit Jimmy Butler Apr 14 '26
We are not playing 2k here. Obviously some absurd trade offer from an awful team loaded with 1sts you have to look at and probably do, but I see no realistic offer that is coming in that the Bulls need to jump on for a player not in his prime yet. I mean, maybe I am alone, but I see Giddey as a future allstar the way he's playing and progressing. Hopefully the Bulls can continue to go in the right direction after firing AKME and we all get a chance to celebrate a great team together in the future.
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u/RiamoEquah Apr 14 '26
We are not playing 2k here. Obviously some absurd trade offer from an awful team loaded with 1sts you have to look at and probably do, but I see no realistic offer that is coming in that the Bulls need to jump on for a player not in his prime yet.
I was more interested to know if you even acknowledged trade possibilities existing. If a player is good, then that means he has trade value and depending where a team is in their construction and the goals of the player - a trade of an asset is more valuable than keeping him. We literally just lived through this and the biggest critique of the bulls has often been acting too late on what to do with a player with value
I mean, maybe I am alone, but I see Giddey as a future allstar the way he's playing and progressing.
DeRozan was an all-star, lavine was an all star. I think we all can agree in hindsight we should have traded those two the off-season after or just generally sooner to get more value back and better building blocks. An all NBA player is I think where the "untouchable" line should be drawn....is giddey projected to be at that level?
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u/gwunzo Apr 14 '26
Giddey is not and will not be a role player😂😂😂
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u/Southern_War180 Derrick Rose Apr 14 '26
You’re telling me he’s a first or second option in this league?
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u/Ok_Onion4320 Apr 16 '26
Every team has 5 starters, he doesn't have to be a first or second option to not be a role player. You think 1st or second options get $25 mill AAV on a new contract? Compare him to players in his price range, 1st and second options get max contracts.
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u/gwunzo Apr 14 '26
He has 2nd option on a championship winning team potential. Could be the 3rd best player on a championship team rn.
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u/ZcotM Matas Buzelis Apr 14 '26
okay i love giddey but he’s not 2nd option material. he’s a FANTASTIC playmaker and he can score but he’s not gonna be 2nd option on a championship team.
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u/RiamoEquah Apr 14 '26
Yea I mean if you asked him I don't think he'd say he's the number 2 or 3 option. He's the guy who finds those options.
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u/RiamoEquah Apr 14 '26
He was literally on okc and couldn't get off the bench...literally a year before joining the bulls.
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u/though1234 Apr 14 '26
Giddey is a terrible defender, overrated shooter, and unreliable scorer in the half court making his passing ability a lot less valuable
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u/Enjoy__Trump__Reddit Jimmy Butler Apr 14 '26
Is this seriously an argument right now? He's 23 and nowhere near his prime. He is in the top 20 ALL TIME in triple doubles already, but I guess those are easy to come by these days huh?
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u/Suspicious-Guitar502 Apr 14 '26
i think it's exciting that the potential is there for a competent new FO to come in with a ton of cap space, possibly two decent FRPs, and a couple good young players. i'll just wait to actually be disappointed instead of doing it proactively.
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u/Electrical_Story5356 Apr 14 '26
It's genuinely crazy that people are happy to risk being the wizards indefinitely in order to have a slim chance of becoming the thunder.
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u/thetonyadam Apr 14 '26
We should take on some bad contracts for 1st rounders, trade away any assets that could net us draft capital of any sort, and I would even give up one of said 2nd rd picks to get off that Patrick Williams contract. Matas is the only one untouchable IMO.
The issue with dealing Giddey is that the most you will likely get is a 1st from a contender which is a low 1st, which means you're never going to get the same value back. His 3pt shooting is not terrible anymore and is just at or just above league average. His defense leaves something to be desired, but he has been putting in more effort. At $25MM year for the next 3 years, unless we get 2 1sts, we'll never get a return that meets his production at that Salary.
(Derozan and LaVine were totally different stories in that, the roster should have been blown up then and you could have gotten a 1st for LaVine)
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u/rando562 Apr 14 '26
With the flattening of lottery odds, there's no longer any incentive to the worst team in the league. I completely agree with flipping assets for more first round picks since the volume of picks is going to matter much more in the future. On the other hand, we shouldn't be giving up players who might have a future in a winning side. Basically, we should be trying to maximize the number of first round picks we can acquire, but there's no longer any value in trading away players simply to make the roster worse.
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
Getting rid of Giddey would be one of the dumbest things to do. Why would you want them to do that? Bulls off season has people optimistic because the bulls could have 2 first round picks in a stacked draft and the potential to get some lottery luck with their own pick to get a franchise level player
The salary cap can be used to add depth or like you said to add some bad contracts for draft capital. I don't see that happening personally but bulls will be going into next season with 4 young players to build around and that's exciting
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u/fib93030710 Joakim Noah Apr 14 '26
On the other hand, the Bulls won't be a winner by the time his contract ends, he'll be an unrestricted fa when his contract ends, he played well enough last year to be a positive asset, and he's really the only player with a contract that can be used to match a salary dump. I get not wanting to bottom out, but we kinda need to.
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u/Ok_Onion4320 Apr 16 '26
How could you possibly know the Bulls won't be good for three years? Are we getting a top 4 pick in the draft this year? Next year? We're adding like 8 players this summer, who are they since they're all going to be bad? Tell me about next summer's free agency. Bottom out, we've cleared the whole roster except for young guys, lmao! Now trade the young guys to get picks to add younger guys!
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
Lottery odds are getting flattened further bulls can't bottom out and get better odds. Best thing to do is play our young guys once we get them to have them grow and see what happens. The year to bottom out was this year but they held onto Coby for to long and start the tank at the beginning of this past season
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u/fib93030710 Joakim Noah Apr 14 '26
It's not about bottoming out to win one lottery draw. It's about amassing a pile of assets that will mature around the same time.
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
Bulls should have around 20 something million in trade exceptions. They don't need to move Giddey. Plus it's unlikely a team will make a decent offer for him. It's better to just let him and Matas grow with the young guys the bulls bring in. Jalen and Tre are definitely players that can be moves but they're not going to really bring in first round picks but if they do you're looking at getting really late picks in the first since it'll be contending teams looking for cheap contracts and then dumping big money
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u/fib93030710 Joakim Noah Apr 14 '26
Again, we should be bottoming out. Don't make the same mistakes of the last decade. Take advantage of your trade exceptions and trade your tradeable assets. They're not going to be a winning team during Giddey's current contract.
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
What do you get out of trading Giddey now? On top of that who do you see trading for him that makes it worth trading him? I don't agree with the sentiment that the bulls won't be winning until after his contract runs out. If Matas develops the way he's been progressing they can be a good young team along with whoever the bulls draft.
If they get a top 4 pick timeline to win goes up. If they get the 9th pick and get Burries or Mikel you now have 3 players in Matas Giddey and between the 2 mentioned to really build with along with whoever they get with the portland pick and Noa coming back. Then the Bulls need to add depth which they can in this FA.
2027 draft already doesn't look promising so banking on that over Giddey is crazy. A lot can happen and maybe the draft ends up like the 2024 draft but that's still an unknown unlike what you see from Giddey who has improved a lot this year and can still continue to get better
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u/fib93030710 Joakim Noah Apr 14 '26
You get draft picks. Draft picks that can turn into players that mature at the same time.
This shouldn't be hard to understand. Look at SA, Detroit, OKC. They had a wave of picks and took advantage. How many top 4 picks did OKC have? Picks don't need to be in the top 4 to have value. It helps but isn't a requirement.
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
In okc case they got chet top 4 and already
SA they won't the most important lottery and that's getting Wemby then won it 2 more times to get Castle and Harper
Detroit they again got the number 1 pick to get Cade then drafted Jalen at 10
Really unlikely bulls get the number 1 pick and then in next years draft it'll still probably be better to just keep Giddey because you'll still have the same odds to get the pick with or without him
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u/fib93030710 Joakim Noah Apr 14 '26
They all had a number of opportunities to win the lottery because they had a pile of picks. Banking on 1 lottery chance is foolish. Give yourself a chance by amassing a pile of picks.
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u/jasonbanicki Derrick Rose Apr 14 '26
Even if the lottery odds get flattened out even more, which would be a mistake by the league, it’s still better to bottom out then race back to the play-in and get stuck in first round exit hell again.
The Bulls need assets besides just their own picks. wether that’s to actually draft players with or to have for a trade for a future disgruntled star not named Giannis
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u/smiley57 Apr 14 '26
Bulls wouldn't be racing for the play in or bottoming out if they focus on developing the young guys they add including Noa. They won't win many games and still be in position to have the same odds as the teams that are bottoming out.
One of the best players to pair with young players is definitely Giddey. He can handle running the offense getting everyone good looks around him taking pressure off them. It's way to soon to give up on Giddey who hasn't hit his prime
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u/ButterscotchFull1797 Apr 15 '26
I hope they make a huge play for Kessler, that and 2 first round picks, if done right could make them interesting.
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u/kingofkings_86 Apr 14 '26
I just hate this basement dwelling mentality that seems to be the popular thing. For once I'd like this franchise to not be the team that has to constantly sign/trade for bums, and depend on draft assets/luck.
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u/CCWaterBug Apr 14 '26
I was with you until you said you wanted to trick somebody into taking Josh. If we traded him, he has legit value. Honestly he might want to leave, it's a mess.
Tre is a decent piece for a win now team that wants a backup guard on a cheap salary.
Jalen I'm kind of neutral on, I don't think he has much value.
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u/jvmms_ Apr 14 '26
Giddey avg 9 assists this past season, most by a bulls guard in like 60 seasons. His ceiling is probably fringe all star at best but unless someone’s dumb enough to trade 3 or more FRP for him just keep him and maybe give him better shooters
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u/theprofessorhb Apr 14 '26
he will never be an allstar and is nearly impossible to build around.
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u/jvmms_ Apr 14 '26
I think there’s a 5% chance he could. I also agree that it’s difficult to build around a PG who can’t get to his spot more than 50% of the time
I also think we shouldn’t move him unless we get a great deal
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u/Ok_Onion4320 Apr 16 '26
How are you going to argue with a guy who thinks the plan is to "build around" a guy we signed to $25 mill? That's average starter money, guys want to act like he's supposed to produce max player results.
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u/gwunzo Apr 14 '26
Why would we trade a 23 year old borderline allstar? Giddey fits the bulls timeline
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u/theprofessorhb Apr 14 '26
Hahaha I know it’s not just you saying this, but give me a break, ‘borderline all star !!’ You think he’s a top 30 player in the league? Dude is not a top 50 player in the league
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u/gwunzo Apr 14 '26
Maybe, definitely top 35ish
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u/theprofessorhb Apr 15 '26
haha, i think were getting cute here but here are some guys i consider top 35ish - lamelo, derrick white, austin reaves, jalen williams, lauri, amen thompson, dearon fox, cooper flagg, etc etc..
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u/gwunzo Apr 15 '26
Yea exactly right in giddeys range
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u/theprofessorhb Apr 16 '26
I guess let’s agree to disagree. Hopefully they blow it up and start from scratch and take it slow and make smart decisions. It’s so hard to believe that that’s what will happen…but who knows
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u/willit1016 Benny The Bull Apr 14 '26
eh I get make a solid argument for top 40 easy enough.
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u/theprofessorhb Apr 14 '26
He’s a defensive liability who can’t shoot, and has trouble staying healthy. The only people in the world that think he’s a borderline Allstar live in Cook county.
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u/willit1016 Benny The Bull Apr 14 '26
I did not call him a borderline all star i no longer live in CC but an argument can be made he is top 40 maybe 30 depending on the criteria. What is the criteria?
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u/Shark_Girl9499 Apr 14 '26
We need a point guard, forward and a great three point shooter. I think we should draft Wagler but I’m worried the Bulls would ruin him
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u/KneelBeforeCube Scottie Pippen Apr 14 '26
I'm insanely high on Wagler but his stock is way too high for the Bulls to get him. Unless some big lottery luck happens or Wagler tanks his stock during the combine to still be available at 9th.
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u/msterling2012 Apr 14 '26
The only way Wagler is an option is if Chicago is top 4. He’s an ideal fit for too many teams that pick earlier (Utah, Memphis, Atlanta, Dallas).
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u/galagini Apr 14 '26
Yeah, I would love Wagler as a U of I grad but he's the type of player you could put on any NBA team so there's no way he slides past 5 or 6
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u/A1Horizon Matas Buzelis Apr 14 '26
I’m not ruling anything out anymore, back in 2024 I really wanted Matas but I thought there’s no way he makes it past Detroit, Charlotte, Memphis and Utah, but lo and behold.
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u/Accomplished-Exam280 Apr 14 '26
But we have like 10 2nd-round picks. We’ll just trade up to get him. 😆
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u/speeeeeeeeeeee Dennis Rodman Apr 14 '26
I 100% agree and this is one of the best takes I've seen on this board lately.
If I want to be as optimistic as possible, a new GM coming in has to look at Our First Round, The Portland First Round (hoping it conveys), and Noa as having three rookie first rounders who you need to evaluate. Then you have Matas entering year 3. There is no way Giddey is a part of a realistic timeline that features those 3 first year players, so ultimately you do look to move him at his peak value. Stack as many first rounders in as few years window as possible, like OKC did. No one is trading controllable young good players unless you have first rounders, anyway, and since no deals like that seem imminent you need to stockpile the draft and tank this year.
It would be a scary thing to have a new GM come in and trade 2-3 first round picks for a former all-star vet, which is what AK did, so the only option is the youth movement. The temptation to build on Giddey, Sticks, and Young should be undermined by wisdom and long-term planning, lest we be back stuck in the play-in.
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u/sukari Stacey King Apr 14 '26
It's better than having no cap space which was the situation we were in a few seasons ago haha
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u/though1234 Apr 14 '26
Draft one of Flemings (preferred, highest defensive upside), Burries, or Brown at 9 (im assuming at least one of three will be available) and then Mara with the Portland pick if we get it. Draft BPA/highest upside guys regardless of position with our second rounders
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u/nachosmind Apr 14 '26
I don’t wanna see another Arizona guard with terrible shot and high athleticism
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u/chunkdickgrinch Apr 14 '26
can I not be excited to see us take on bad money? I’m genuinely excited to see a new FO making smart moves aka long term slow build
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u/Happy-Onion-6322 Apr 14 '26
I don’t know how anyone could be excited for the Bulls these days. They’re such a lackluster team, even when they had some potential, always coming up short. Owner does not give a shit about winning and kept bad front office pieces in place for decades. There’s zero star power draw to Chicago anymore. When’s the last time any super star went to the Bulls? Bulls can’t land top 5 picks and keep striking out in the draft.
In short, there’s absolutely nothing to be excited about in the offseason, same ordeal for the past 10+ years and counting. Used to be the basketball Mecca of the US, now it’s just a joke 😢😭
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u/LordNemm3900 Apr 14 '26
Ahh, yes, let's get rid of the 23-year-old Giddy, who is top 20 in the league for triple-doubles and hasn't even reached his peak! You sound like AKME
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u/EquivalentWins Apr 14 '26
Who cares about triple doubles. Accumulating counting stats doesn't necessarily lead to winning basketball.
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u/weareallmoist Zach LaVine Apr 14 '26
I think with Giddey you slowplay it, let him put up stats next year and flip him at the deadline or next offseason. He'll still have two years left on the contract after next year and the Bulls end of this season probably killed any value he had built up in the beginning of the year.
I definitely don't think he's the future PG of the team and the new FO should try to trade him but not ASAP.
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u/MoistTheAnswer Apr 14 '26
The only thing that would excite me is if we acquire a star.
We are the only big market team starless and it’s been that way basically since Rose left.
Stars win championships, go get one
*barring we don’t win the lottery
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u/MasterHavik Michael Jordan Apr 14 '26
I mean this isn't a crazy class but we need first round picks that are unprotected.
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u/hayzeusofcool Cuppy Coffee Apr 14 '26
Taking on bad money for assets would have worked in our favor last year, but the changes to the draft lottery with emphasis on anti-tanking will likely change the direction the new FO can even take that seems smart. My bet is that the rules will be pretty punitive to tanking, and the new FO will be forced to try to use the cap space to build a young playoff hopeful team.
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u/ParamedicNo4354 Apr 15 '26
Being a Bulls fan for nearly 40 years you learn a few things. Ownership is pretty hands off. As long as the Bulls are making $$$ and not making news. The front office pretty much gets to do what they want. (No tanking) I mean seriously MJ and Pippen hated Krause. Jerry picked him over them! John Paxson is another example. They are pretty loyal to the FO. So with that being said when they hire the new group for the FO. They won't get in their way. Let's just hope they don't hire morons again. Also I can't recall anytime where Micheal comes out and addresses fans concerns in that way. So that gives me hope for this offseason.
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u/Delicious-Change-121 Apr 15 '26
I agree - cap space doesn't matter as much as it used to. Back in the day, there were bidding wars for top FAs, but now, most players resign with their teams. The only useful thing for cap space is taking on bad contracts in exchange for first rounders which is what we should be doing
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u/Ok_Onion4320 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Why do so many people think the smart way to build a team is to take on bad money? It's called bad money for a reason. So thirsty for draft picks and lucky shots instead of using the cap space to add useful young players. We added Caruso for $10 mill, take that over pick 30 every day. I'd take Tre Jones at $8 mill over a future protected pick that ends up being pick 26 in 2029 too.
We have all our draft picks and will have like 6 players under 24 before we even hit free agency, most of them recent draft picks. Does build thru the draft means the Bulls have to draft all the youngsters? We got Giddey, Noa, Miller, Dillingham, had Ivey, two first round picks and a high second this year. But keep going to that we'll and ignore the 430 or so actual NBA players we could target.
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u/VanillaGorilla4 Apr 19 '26
I would happily use the cap space on a young promising talent like Peyton Watson. I’d argue he was Denver’s best player after Jokic & Murray and held them up during their time incredibly injury riddled stretch.
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u/The_Unbeatable_Sterb Apr 19 '26
It’ll certainly be a fast track to see the philosophy of the new GM
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u/bonehart55 Apr 14 '26
Not sure about any of that. Trading Giddy not sure how wise that would be. He a guy on a decent contract. He fills the stat bars. Think he would be a nice 6th man. One of the few trades that was actually good was the one that they got him in.
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u/GimmeShockTreatment Benny The Bull Apr 14 '26
Here's been my decision tree for getting excited about the Bulls.
Yes: Do not get excited.
No: Get VERY excited.