The Chicago Bulls still have one big domino left to fall this offseason, and there might be an easy way to resolve their drama.
Throughout the offseason, restricted free agency has been a massive headline around the league. The Bulls have arguably the best restricted free agent still available in Josh Giddey, but his value around the league varies greatly, and the Bulls have been unable to lock him down this summer.
Of course, with the season slowly inching closer, Giddey and Chicago will need to come to an agreement at some point. That’s where [Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25237680-predicting-3-most-likely-outcomes-josh-giddey-chicago-bulls)’s Andy Bailey predicted some of the likeliest outcomes, including the simplest: Giddey returns to Chicago. As Bailey pointed out, the Bulls have already offered Giddey a deal in the range of four years for $80 million, so it would make sense for the ultimate conclusion to be somewhere around that number.
His return to the Windy City for next season almost feels inevitable. With the lack of cap space around the league and little general interest in betting big on Giddey, the Bulls have never had to be concerned about another team swooping in.
That’s also a reason why this saga has extended into mid-August. While Giddey’s holdup has prevented the Bulls from making any other big decisions, he should still project as a big part of the team’s future.
With head coach Billy Donovan extended and the team looking to focus on development for younger players such as Matas Buzelis, the Bulls could be in a position to give Giddey a runway to success next season. Perhaps above all, the Bulls desperately need to keep Giddey around for the optics. After failing to get anything else back when they traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bulls must ensure Giddey is a key part of the future, with Caruso already securing a title with his new team.