The Clippers’ alleged salary-cap circumvention has populated the past week of the NBA offseason, but within the same time frame, two of the four remaining restricted free agents found resolutions with their teams.
Josh Giddey agreed to a four-year, $100 million deal ($25 million average annual value) with the Bulls on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal falls right in between Chicago’s original offer of four years, $80 million ($20 million per year) and the $30 million per year that NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the 22-year-old was hoping to secure.
Chicago, which extended head coach Billy Donovan in July, has only about $75 million on the books for the 2026–27 season—though the 2027 offseason may have marquee free agents, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell.
The news about Giddey comes less than a week after Cam Thomas, another restricted free agent, and the Nets failed to agree on a long-term contract. The 23-year-old signed a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer with the Nets, which will make him an unrestricted free agent next year.
The remaining RFA dominoes are Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Sixers wing Quentin Grimes.
Kuminga’s situation differs from that of Giddey, as reports have indicated there was mutual interest between Chicago and Giddey to be tied together for the long term. The Warriors have given Kuminga two options, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater: Sign the one-year qualifying offer or sign a two-year, $45 million deal with a team option in the second year. Both are short-term options, but the latter makes it easy to trade the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft.
The 22-year-old wants a three-year, $82 million deal.
The stalemate with Kuminga has left the aging Warriors as the offseason’s quietest team. After losing Kevon Looney, Golden State has yet to make any roster moves outside of signing Taevion Kinsey to an Exhibit 10 contract. The Warriors have been linked to other free agents, including 39-year-old Al Horford, who remains an unrestricted free agent.
The 25-year-old Grimes, who had a strong finish to the season after the Sixers acquired him from the Mavericks, is reportedly seeking a deal in the ballpark of $20 million to $25 million per year. However, Philadelphia has a deep backcourt rotation with Tyrese Maxey, a healthy Jared McCain, and recently drafted VJ Edgecombe, making it more difficult for them to invest in Grimes.
Fischer said last week that Grimes “allegedly has the chance to take the qualifying offer” from the Sixers, which, like Thomas, will make him an unrestricted free agent next year.
