New Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey is looking to get back to his roots.
The Bulls acquired the former All-Rookie pick in exchange for two-time All-Defensive Teamer Alex Caruso. Giddey says he has been offered little in the way of assurances beyond a fresh start.
He also confirmed comments from Oklahoma City Thunder vice president of basketball operations and general manager Sam Presti about why he requested a trade.
“In regards to Sam’s comments, I mean it’s pretty accurate. We spoke a lot throughout the offseason and even our exit interviews,” Giddey told reporters on June 25 in his first comments with the Bulls. “Obviously, I came off a tough year. My role shifted a little bit, I was playing a lot more off-ball and kind of in a different role to what I’ve ever done in my career.
“There was no secret that it was going to take some kind of flexibility on my part to fit in with the team that we had, and the structure that we had, and the type of players that we had.
“He spoke to me about looking at potentially different roles – coming off the bench, running the second unit, things like that. And I just said to him, at this point in my career – I’m 21 years old – it wasn’t something that I was overly eager to do.”
Unreal passes, circus shots… All the top plays of Josh Giddey with OKC in 70 seconds
Giddey said that he appreciated Presti’s “transparency” throughout the entire process.
The 6-foot-8 Aussie averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists last season, setting career lows in all three categories in roughly six fewer minutes per game compared to the 2022-23 campaign.
He was also not a fan of being used as a screener and dunker last season, a shift from his playmaking role to more of a finisher.
Josh Giddey Looking to Improve Shooting, Defense
Giddey arrives with plenty of questions about how he fits with the current Bulls core, specifically in terms of being the starting point guard alongside a lineup that could also feature another non-shooter in DeMar DeRozan.
Giddey said that his conversations with Bulls brass including Head Coach Billy Donovan did not yield any assurances about his role. He did say he is aiming to improve his weaknesses.
The Dallas Mavericks largely ignored him offensively in the postseason.
“It was probably a blessing in disguise for me. It really taught me what I need to work on, how I need to get better,” Giddey said. “Obviously, shooting’s a big one. But also the defensive end is something that I think just coming into this offseason, switch just flipped in my mind and I just realized that to be at the highest level you’ve got to really compete at that end. You’ve got to be able to sit down, guard guys.
“That’s the side of the ball that I really want to take pride in. I think the offense will come naturally. But it’s that side of the ball that I really want to take steps forward in to make sure when playoff time comes around, that I’m ready to go, both sides of the ball and not just one.”
Giddey shot a career-best 33.7% from beyond the arc last season.
He also had the fourth-worst on-off differential among all Thunder players to log at least 100 minutes last season, per Cleaning The Glass.
Josh Giddey Not Focused on Contract Extension
The underlying issue with the Bulls’ acquisition of Giddey is his contract. He is in the final year of his four-year, $27.2 million rookie contract. Giddey says that his contract situation was a priority for him but noted the trade shifted that.
“Coming off my season in Oklahoma, that was kind of the thought process – it was it was all extension, extension,” Giddey said. And then, when a trade happened that kind of flips my mindset to a different thing. So in regards to extension, I haven’t thought about it a lot over the last week, however long it’s been. Week or so.
“I’m sure that those conversations will happen with my agent, the front office here and those sorts of things.
“It’s it’s not the be-all, end-all for me. If it happens, it happens. If not, either way is fine.”
The Bulls have Patrick Williams hitting restricted free agency this offseason. They beat the rush with one of their own last offseason, signing guard Coby White before free agency began. The Bulls would re-sign Ayo Dosunmu later in the restricted free agency process.
Giddey said he does not know about the Bulls’ other plans. He is just letting things play out and looking to help the team improve for next season.
“I haven’t asked [about further plans],” Giddey said. “I’ve just kind of focused on getting here, getting acclimated to the new surroundings. But no, I haven’t asked. I understand the draft’s in a couple of nights, so they’ll get players through that. But in terms of what direction the franchise is going, I haven’t asked any questions.”
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Josh Giddey Gets Honest About Thunder Trade in 1st Public Comments With Bulls