After exactly 1,004 days, Lonzo Ball has returned to the NBA. He took the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game. His first bucket was a three-point shot, and he even made a couple of hustle plays. While everyone is happy to see Lonzo back on the court, one player on the Bulls roster might be affected. Let’s explore the Lonzo Ball Josh Giddey dynamics after the star point guard returned to play.
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Lonzo Ball’s Return Spells Trouble for Josh Giddey
To be fair, the Chicago Bulls might be in a messy situation even before Lonzo returned. The team has been in limbo for several years. This summer, it seemed like they finally decided to take a path after letting DeMar DeRozan go. However, with Lonzo’s return, they might have inadvertently affected their big trade acquisition. This summer, the Bulls traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey with the intention of signing the Australian guard to a long-term contract.
Yet, now, with Lonzo back, the Bulls have a logjam at the point guard position. All three of their guards, Giddey, Ball, Zach LaVine, and Coby White, are most efficient when they have the ball in their hands. None of them is a great off-ball shooting guard.
What is Giddey’s Contract Situation?
Giddey is entering his fourth year on his rookie contract, and he is eligible to sign an extension up until October 21st. He was the No.6 overall pick in the 2021 draft, and the Bulls traded for him with the intent to sign him to a long-term deal.
As Shams Charania pointed out during an appearance on the Hoop Collective podcast,
“He’s someone that I think the Bulls will engage with. They made that trade, trading away Alex Caruso for him. So, they clearly value him to an extent. But what does he want? What is his mentality on the marketplace? And what do they want to give”?
As Brian Windhorst speculated during the Hoop Collective, Giddey might be expecting a starter salary, even a max contract. But if the Bulls were willing to give that to him, they would have done it by now.
The problem is that even next summer, Giddey will not be an unrestricted free agent. Instead, the Bulls can match any offer sheet he signs. Now, in a potential contract year, he has to share the floor with two other point guards who need the ball in their hands.
It is All Love Between Lonzo and Josh
While Josh Giddey might be directly affected by Lonzo’s return, it is all love between the two of them. Following the game in which Ball scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting in 15 minutes of action, Giddey shared a four-word message to him on Instagram. He wrote, “Welcome back my boy” clearly suggesting there is no animosity between the two.
What is the Marketplace for Josh Giddey?
The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Josh Giddey in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft. Last year, he started all 80 games, but his playing time decreased in the playoffs. Following the end of their season, OKC approached Giddey, suggesting he might come off the bench in the future. But he was not enthusiastic about it, so the two sides worked out on a trade. He ended up with the Bulls, a team that had an intent to trade for him and sign him.
The problem is that Lonzo changes the whole dynamic of the team. We talked about how they have three starting-caliber point guards, and then you throw in Zach LaVine, who also wants the ball in his hands, and you have a logjam. For his career, Giddey has averaged 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Yet, last year, when he averaged 25 minutes per game, his numbers dropped a bit. Next summer, he will be a restricted free agent. Yet, the problem is, there are not many teams with money and even fewer that need a starting caliber point guard.
Shams Charania talked about how agents view the contract Immanuel Quickley got, five years and $175 million, as a standard threshold. Early projections show only four teams might have cap space next summer, including the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
At the same time, the list of potential free agent point guards includes Lonzo Ball, Tyus Jones (who will be playing for a big contract), Fred VanFleet(team option), Kyrie Irving(player option), Malcolm Brogdon, D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schroeder, and more.
