Josh Giddey Targets Fast Start After Signing Four-Year, $100 Million Deal With Bulls
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Chicago, IL — Newly re-signed guard Josh Giddey says the Chicago Bulls must open the 2025-26 season on the front foot after the team and the 23-year-old restricted free agent ended their contract impasse last month.
Giddey told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc in an exclusive interview on Thursday that his four-year, $100 million agreement allows him to “move forward” knowing he is “locked in with the Bulls” through 2029. “Super excited, love the city … That was the team I wanted to be at,” he said.
Ready to Validate $25 Million-Per-Year Price Tag
The Australian guard, selected sixth overall in the 2021 draft, will earn an average of $25 million annually after completing his four-year, $27.21 million rookie contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I’m looking to hit the ground running,” Giddey noted. “You don’t ever want it to be a two-month, three-month hot stretch … I’ve had a great offseason.”
Productive First Season in Chicago
Acquired in the 2024 trade that sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, Giddey started 69 of 70 games last season, averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He shot 46.5 percent from the field and a career-best 37.8 percent from three-point range.
According to Basketball Reference, he ranked 20th in defensive rebounds (439) and 10th in assists (503) while recording personal highs in player efficiency rating (18.1) and true shooting percentage (57 percent). His seven triple-doubles were the second-highest single-season total in franchise history, trailing only Michael Jordan’s 15 in 1988-89.
Focus on a Quick Start
Chicago finished last season 15-5 over its final 20 games but fell to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, missing the playoffs for a third straight year. With training camp looming, Giddey emphasized health and depth as keys to early success. “The East is wide open, so we need to start the year strong,” he said. “Our identity is a very fast-paced team … defensively we have to be better, and I think we will be.”
The Bulls open the 2025-26 campaign at home against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 22.
Source: Basketball Insiders
