Josh Giddey: 'This was where I wanted to be'

• ‍Josh Giddey locks in $100M deal with Chicago‍
• Josh Giddey's contract 'stalemate' explained‍
• Latest News: Read more about Aussies in the NBA here

Australian Josh Giddey's performance after the 2025 NBA All-Star Break convinced the Chicago Bulls he was part of the six-time NBA champions future.

"With where we left off and where we’re headed: the last 20 games of the season gave us a glimpse of our future," Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said during the Bulls Media Day in Chicago today.

"We established our offensive identity — ball movement and threes — and, most importantly, we showed cohesion and got better. We were 14th on offense and 9th on defense. Those numbers are encouraging.

"This year, I’m excited for the season with an established and young core. We’re building a strong foundation that will continue to develop while learning to win together. Josh is back; we were happy to re-sign him to an extension — he’s part of our future.

"The ultimate goal is to win a championship, but our immediate focus is growth: what we did well last year and what we must do now.

"There’s a specific way we have to play to win. We watched the playoffs — the physicality is demanding every game.

"Our guys must play that way this year, and we’ll see if they’re capable."

Giddey and the Bulls were involved in an off-season stalemate over his contract extension. Restricted free agent Giddey, 22, wanted USD $30M per season and the Bulls USD $20M. They eventually settled for USD $25M for four years.

Statistical Surge in the New Year

The new year brought continued growth for Giddey. The LaVine trade put the ball in Giddey's hands and played to his strengths as a big, playmaking guard.

Between January and April 2025, the Australian guard elevated his production across the board:

• Scoring: 16.8 points per game (up from 12.3 in the first two months)
• Rebounding: 9.2 rebounds per game (up from 5.7)
• Assists: 7.7 assists per game (up from 6.1)
• Field goal percentage: 48.3% (up from 41.2%)
• Three-point percentage: 38.6% (up from 30.1%)

Giddey addressed questions about the stalemate directly during the Bulls 2025 Media Day today in Chicago.

“I mean obviously when you hit free agency, restricted or unrestricted, rumours start to circulate,” he said.

“For me, I let my management and agent handle that side of things with the front office here. So, I tried to stay out of it.

“When there was something to know I knew my agent would tell me, but other than that there were never any bad feelings.

“It’s a negotiation. It’s how it goes, not just for me but for every free agent. It’s kind of the nature of the business and finishing the season I knew that was what was going to happen... so never really hard feelings.

“Obviously this is where I wanted to be, so very happy to be locked in for another four years and I’m glad the deal got done.”

“It’s a weird feeling because you try not to think about it, but you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t, because obviously everyone wants to play for that second contract,” Giddey said.

“It’s part of being an NBA player. You want to extend your career. I was no different.

“It wasn’t at the forefront of my mind but it’s always kind of lingering... when you start to play bad it creeps into your mind... ‘I’m extension-eligible at the end of the season, what’s going to happen?’... but I think I did a good job in the second half last year just playing it out. Just playing basketball.

“It wasn’t at the forefront of my mind at all. I knew at the end of the season it was going to be negotiated.

“(But) I never had any worries I wasn’t going to be here,” the 22-year-old explained.

“This was where I wanted to be. They embraced me from day one when I first got here — teammates, front office and the fans — and it felt like home really quickly.

“Obviously what we did last year, particularly in the back half of the year, it gave me a lot of confidence that this team was able to continue to take steps in the right direction.

“I built really good relationships with people, not only in the organisation, but outside of the building in the city, and it felt like home quickly.

“Right from the jump, I made sure my agent knew this is where I wanted to be. I want to be here long-term.”

Giddey's numbers were elite in 2024-25. He averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists across 70 games.

“When I got here I think early days I was trying to find my feet,” Giddey said.

“I was probably trying to fit in a little too much and then (in the) back-half of the year I started to get aggressive and kind of get back to who I am as a player.

“I tried to do it without taking anything away from the team. I tried to dive into the team as much as I could and I felt like that really helped me in the back-half of the year, so going into this year that’s kind of where my mindset is at.

“It’s not about me at all. It’s not about me trying to go out there and prove that I’m worth this or I’m this type of player or anything. It’s about how can I, as the point guard, continue to push this team in the right direction.”

Giddey said his next step was to expand his role within the team structure.

“Every leader is different. Some guys are loud vocal guys. Some guys lead by example. I think I’m just naturally more of a reserved guy,” Giddey said.

“I’m not a big yell or scream type of leader, but I think taking a step in that role, using my voice more.

“Especially as a point guard, you kind of have to be vocal and I feel like on the floor I am, but away from the floor in timeouts and huddles and at halftime breaks, I can be more of a leader in those types of things.

“That’s probably the big area for me that I want to continue to grow in.”