How Should Josh Giddey and Coby White’s Extensions be Handled?

In a development that seemed far-fetched a few months ago, the Chicago Bulls have been the hottest NBA team in the month of March. The Bulls have an 8-3 record over the past 11 games, highlighted by their most recent win against the Lakers on Mar. 27. In dramatic fashion, Giddey sank a 47-foot half court buzzer beater to defeat the Lakers 119-117.

For a team that looked lifeless before trading Zach LaVine to the Kings, this has been the most exciting the Bulls have looked since Lonzo Ball was fully healthy in 2022. Coasting off momentum right now, they are currently the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and have a real shot to qualify for a playoff spot.

Giddey’s emergence and Coby White’s superstar level play provides the team with options this offseason on how to approach their next rebuild. With Giddey entering restricted free agency this offseason and White nearing unrestricted free agency in 2026, the Bulls have important decisions to make about their backcourt, as they must decide if Giddey and White are franchise building blocks.

Josh Giddey

Giddey’s looming contract extension is the first priority of the team’s this offseason. Since LaVine was traded in early February, Giddey has averaged a career high 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Although it is a small sample size, Giddey is still just 22 years old and is showing all-star level potential if he continues this trajectory. Despite defensive and shooting concerns, Giddey has made strides in both these areas by shooting 52.5 percent from beyond the arc over the past nine games, as well as covering some of the best guards in the league on defense and averaging a team-high 1.5 steals per game since Feb. 2.

So for the big question: should Giddey be retained and for how much? Jalen Suggs and Immanuel Quickley, point guards that share a similar skillset to Giddey, were both recently extended for a respective $30.1 million and $32.4 million yearly. Giddey will likely command a similar price on the free agent market. The good news for the Bulls is that Giddey will be a restricted free agent this offseason, so the power lies in their hands to match any offer that another team throws out there.

I believe that Giddey is young enough and has shown enough strides since LaVine’s departure to warrant an extension at the market price. Giddey can be the point guard of the future for this team and it would be a mistake to let him leave the Bulls and thrive elsewhere. The Bulls are a team that have struggled with player development by trading young guys away (such as Lauri Markannen and Wendell Carter Jr.), for them to then have success on other teams. To break the pattern and foster a young team chemistry, they need to cough up the $30 million per year and let him reach his ceiling in Chicago. If Giddey struggles over the next four years, they can let him walk once he hits unrestricted free agency, but giving him the chance to reach his true potential is something the Bulls need to do in order to fully kickstart their rebuild.

Coby White

Deciding on White’s future will be the next to-do for the Bulls this offseason, as they will need to make a decision on whether to trade him or try to extend him when he hits the open market in 2026. This is a decision that has truly been made harder over the past two months due to White’s unreal level of play. White has been a bonafide superstar since the departure of LaVine, posting insane averages of 29.1 points, five assists and 3.9 assists per game over the past 14 contests. He also joined Michael Jordan as the second Bulls player ever to earn two consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week nominations.

There is no question that White is a stud, one that can be an Eastern Conference All-Star in the near future. The big question is if White is the player to issue a max contract to and build the entire franchise around. After the disaster of a max contract that was given to LaVine in 2022, there is a natural hesitation from fans and the organization that this could be a similar situation.

While it is a tough position to be in, I believe that trading White this offseason would be a mistake. Unless they are receiving a king’s ransom in value (which is highly unlikely due to White being a one year-rental), sending White packing a year before he tests the market would be another mismanaged transaction by the front office.

Similar to Suggs and Quickley’s previously mentioned deals, White would command around $30-35 million yearly at his consistent rate of play. With his scoring, defense and shooting percentage continuing to improve over the past two years, I believe that his contract would be a much better investment at that price than LaVine’s $50 million per year. White’s ability to play off ball yet still take over possessions make him such a dangerous asset on offense that I think he makes a better building block than LaVine ever did. While I need to see Giddey and White play at this level for a larger sample size, I am overall excited at the prospect of these two being the backcourt of the future.

What do you guys think the Bulls should do with Josh Giddey and Coby White this offseason? Let me know in the comments.