Josh Giddey, restricted
Over the first four years of his career, there probably wasn't a more polarizing player in the league (and I'm strictly talking about his on-the-court product) than Josh Giddey. Some absolutely love him, and some don't believe that he can be a winning player on a winning team. Either way, especially with the way he's been playing of late, Giddey is a player that is going to be in line for a big payday this offseason.
I'm still not exactly sure why the Chicago Bulls would trade for Giddey and then not quickly agree to a contract extension with him before he could test the restricted free agency market. Nevertheless, that's exactly what Chicago is about to let happen. No matter how badly the Bulls may want to re-sign him, Giddey is still going to have the option to test restricted free agency. That may not be all that bad for the Bulls, considering they can match any offer sheets he gets, but it's certainly set up to bite them in the back.
Giddey has to love this position he's in. No matter where it's coming from, he's more than likely going to get a pretty solid free-agency payday. The Bulls are the one side that's probably going to be sweating out this entire process. On top of all the mismanaging that they've had over the last few years, the last thing the Bulls need is to trade for a fringe-star player and then lose him in free agency after just one season.
Giddey has been up and down all season long for the Bulls but does appear to be ready to finish the season strong. During the month of February, Giddey averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 51 percent shooting from the field and 56 percent shooting from 3-point range. That should give him a great shot to "break the bank" this summer in free agency.