The Thunder had the ball more in the hands of fellow point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was the runner-up in the Most Valuable Player count, while centre Chet Holmgren is expected to have a greater influence at the offensive end.
In a league where on-court spacing is paramount, Giddey did lift his three-point shooting to a career-best 34 per cent this season, but his accuracy in his 4.4 attempts per 36 minutes was below the league average of 36.6 per cent, and did not force defences to react. Giddey had been working with renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland at OKC. Through his three seasons, Giddey has averaged 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
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He has 11 career triple-doubles, fourth most all time by a player aged 21 or younger. Only “Magic” Johnson, Luka Doncic and fellow Australian Ben Simmons had more, according to ESPN.
Giddey was investigated this season by the NBA and Newport Beach police for allegedly having had improper relations with an underage girl when he was 19, after photos on social media came to light in late November, but he did not face charges, and he was cleared. He was routinely booed by opposing fans in that time.
Heading into the NBA draft on June 26, expect the trade headlines to heat up, so just how the Bulls’ roster looks in a week, let alone come the season tip-off in October, is difficult to predict.
Giddey should work well alongside young scoring guard Coby White, who shot 38 per cent from three on seven attempts per game last season. However, he could be a tough fit for unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan, who prefers the ball in his hand, and is the mid-range shooting king. Fellow star Zach LaVine is being shopped around, as the Bulls seek change under coach Billy Donovan.
Luc Longley and Michael Jordan in 1997.Credit: Reuters
The reaction
Giddey becomes the fifth Australian to join one of the most well-known franchises in sport, the Bulls made famous by Michael Jordan’s six championships. The 21-year-old joins three-time championship winner Luc Longley, Chris Anstey, Luke Schenscher, and Cameron Bairstow as Australians to have been at the Bulls.
“It’s a new challenge. He goes from a championship-contending team to one that is at a different phase, that has a lot of history, a lot of great memories for a lot of people. It’s an incredible brand that he is playing for,” Australian basketball great Andrew Gaze, who has known Giddey since he was born, said.
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“I think it’s going to be a situation where he is going to get more opportunities to show what he can do. That’s a good thing. I think the Thunder situation … the fit just wasn’t quite there.”
The contract
It’s over to the Bulls now to determine Giddey’s value, for they will have to decide by opening night whether to extend Giddey ahead of his possible restricted free agency after the 2024-25 season. He still has a year to run on his current deal, where he is due to pocket $12,539,400.
However, the son of Melbourne Tigers great Warrick, Giddey can soon negotiate a rookie-scale extension of up to five years.
Depending on what space the Bulls have in their salary cap, with a team’s cap next season to be $211 million, and what they feel Giddey is worth, he could pocket more than $200 million.
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