‘A deal gets done’: Former GM on Giddey standoff

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Former NBA general manager Ryan McDonough believes Aussie star Josh Giddey's contract standoff with the Chicago Bulls will come to an end soon and expects the two parties to reach a new deal.

Giddey, 22, is restricted free agent following an impressive first season with the Bulls after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Alex Caruso.

McDonough was the Boston Celtics assistant GM to Danny Ainge during their championship run in 2008.

“Four years, $25 million, a year, $100 million," McDonough said at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

"If I had to peg it, that would be my prediction and I do think a deal likely gets done.

“It's a really difficult time to be a restricted free agent. Only one team, the Brooklyn Nets, came into this offseason with a significant salary cap space and they've already used most of it.

“Not necessarily to try to improve their team. They used it to absorb contracts.

"They brought in Terrence Mann from Atlanta, that took up a chunk of it, they did the lopsided trade with the Denver Nuggets, where Cameron Johnson went out and Michael Porter came back who makes a lot more money than Cam Johnson.

“I bring that up because it's a brutal time, not only for Josh Giddey, but the other top restricted free agents — Cam Thomas, Quentin Grimes, Jonathan Kuminga.

"Those are the top four and there's just not a lot of money in the marketplace.

“Usually what teams and players try to do is get an offer sheet from another team but in order to get an offer sheet you need to have salary caps. That's kind of the impasse.

“I do think (Giddey’s contract) is one of the more likely ones that could potentially get done. Some of the other ones I mentioned with the other restricted free agents, that seems like a tougher thing and those might not get done.

"The player's leverage and the agent's leverage is to sign the qualifying offer which is a one-year contract and have the player be an unrestricted free agent a year from now.

“But obviously most players and agents don't want to do that because of leaving potentially a lot of money on the table as well as the injury risk.”

Giddey, a former Melbourne Tigers junior and former NBL Next Star, had a spike in production after the Bulls sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings with Billy Donovan’s group built around the backcourt pairing of Giddey and Coby White.

But Giddey and the Bulls are yet to agree to terms on a new deal with the Australian’s management reportedly asking $30 million per season while Chicago are believed to be around the $20 million mark. T

The situation made more complicated by the lack of cap space around the NBA for Giddey to sign an offer sheet, where the Bulls would then need to match to retain his services.

Despite the delay on a new contract, McDonough, who spent five years as the Phoenix Suns GM between 2013 and 2018, expected Giddey’s team and the Bulls to continue their partnership.

McDonough, who is now working in the media covering the NBA, said Billy Donovan’s style of play last season was perfect for Giddey.

“I thought Josh played really well down the stretch for Chicago," he added.

"It's not something that probably gets as much attention nationally in the US because the Bulls had an average year, but I thought late in the year after they made the trades, they moved on from some of their core veterans who were there for a long time like Zach Levine and DeMar DeRozan, I enjoyed watching the team play.

“They played very fast. They played small. Billy Donovan at times almost put five guards on the court. So, they had a tonne of shooting and spacing and the ability to penetrate off the dribble.

“Not a lot of defence, rebounding, and rim protection. So, it was an interesting allotment, but that was the personnel they had and I thought they did well with it.

“I thought Josh in particular really had a nice bounce-back year after some of the challenges in OKC where he fell out of the rotation and looked a little hesitant to shoot the ball at times. I thought he played well.

“So, if I were to peg it, it's easy for me to say, but I hope the group's meet in the middle where if Josh wants $30 million or so and the team wants to get him for $20, can they meet at $25 million? That's still a lot of money on a four-year deal."

McDonough also praised the rise of fellow Aussie Dyson Daniels after a breakout year in the NBA where he won the league’s Most Improved Player and was also a contender for Defensive Player of the Year.

Daniels is eligible for an extension and McDonough hoped he remained a Hawk for the foreseeable future.

“Dyson Daniels had a great season in Atlanta. He was my choice for Defence Player of the Year, I thought he should have won the award,” he said.

“He was everywhere. It's amazing what he does defensively. I really enjoy watching him play and I think it's exactly what the Hawks need because of Trae Young's gifts offensively and some of Trae's struggles defensively.

“I believe he's extension-eligible right now. I think he just finished the third year in the NBA and so going into a player's fourth season on the rookie-scale contract, you can sign an extension. The guys who have signed extensions in the 2022 draft class has been a little bit slow, honestly.

“Jabari Smith was the first one down in Houston. Recently, you've seen the two stars in OKC, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, sign extensions. So, Daniels is eligible for one.

“But usually those tend to get done a little bit later. Keep in mind that he's under contract this upcoming season regardless and then if they're not able to work out a deal, he'll be a restricted free agent.

“So, the Atlanta Hawks have control over the situation for a while and so usually the teams only make an offer if a player is at or near a max level or if they think a player would be willing to accept a deal that's a little more team-friendly because it's so early. But I really like Dyson Daniels.

“I hope he's an Atlanta Hawk for a long time and keep in mind, even if another month or two goes by, keep in mind he has right up until opening night in October to sign it, so they could be having conversations for the next few months.”