The Chicago Bulls face a crucial offseason decision that is going to ultimately set the tone for the future.
With so many moving parts heading into the NBA offseason, the Chicago Bulls are certainly one team worth keeping a close eye on. And their big decision on Josh Giddey could have a huge impact on other potential moves that could await the Bulls heading into the summer. Giddey is a restricted free agent this summer, but it's not just him that Chicago has to figure out how to pay. Coby White, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season, is another rising young star who will be in line for a huge payday.
All of a sudden, the Bulls have some very big decisions to make. For a team that didn't even make the NBA Playoffs this past season, these decisions aren't that simple.
According to a recent report, there's speculation around the league that the Bulls will enter a situation this offseason where they'll almost have to pick between paying Josh Giddey or Coby White. There's not an expectation that the Bulls will pay both young players the huge extensions they're going to be in the market for.
The Chicago Bulls must choose their path forward
Depending on how the Bulls approach this offseason, it could go a long way in dictating the future for the franchise. Even if Chicago could or wanted to pay both Giddey and White, it's hard to see the vision behind it. Have there been bright spots between the two this past season? Asboltuley. However, it'd be a tough sell for the front office if they all of a sudden decided that Giddey and White are the core worth building around, especially after they finally got out of the Zach LaVine situation.
Even though the argument could be made that the sample size hasn't been large enough to make a clear decision one way or another, this is far from a clear or simple decision that the Bulls find themselves in. In theory, I suppose you'd assume that the Bull would have to choose Giddey over White. And that's what it seems like they'll do with the way the recent reporting is trending.
However, this is one of the biggest first post-LaVine decisions that the Bulls are set to make. It's one of those moves that's going to set the tone for the future, and make the wrong move now could end up setting the team back another couple of years.