July 10 is the date.
The Chicago Bulls’ offseason revolves around Josh Giddey. The 22-year-old guard is up for a pay raise following an impressive inaugural season in the Windy City. After a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, Giddey averaged a near triple-double post-All-Star break. The combo guard put up 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game in 19 contests after the break.
Giddey wasn’t the only Bull to see stark improvement in the latter half of the 2024-25 campaign. Fellow guard Coby White increased his scoring output from 18.2 to 24.5 from pre- to post-All-Star. Alongside a scoring increase, White upped his field goal percentage from 42.7 to 49.4 percent. The uptick in efficiency is especially impressive considering White’s increase in volume.
Aside from an improvement in scoring and efficiency statistics, White altered his play style. He settled for fewer three-pointers, got to the free-throw line at a greater rate, and relentlessly attacked the basket. White took full advantage of Billy Donovan’s space and pace scheme.
Coby White is extension-eligible in July, albeit at a discounted rate
Unlike Giddey, White’s second-half breakout doesn’t coincide with an impending free agency. The 25-year-old guard is still under contract for an additional season. However, White is eligible to sign an extension this offseason. The scoring guard is eligible to sign the new deal on July 10.
Yet, it’s nowhere near a guarantee White will re-sign. Not because of his lack of desire to remain in Chicago, but because of the limited contract extension the Bulls can offer. Chicago can offer, at most, a four-year, $89 million contract. The first-year salary in a veteran extension is 140 percent of White’s final season’s salary, with an annual raise of 8 percent.
Thus, White’s first-year salary on a new extension (which would kick in in 2026-27) would be a tad over $18 million, about $7 million more than the NBA’s average salary. At $22.5 million per season, White’s forthcoming extension would be an absolute bargain for the Bulls.
After a second-place finish in Most Improved Player voting, followed by a 20.4 points per game season, including an Eastern Conference Player of the Month honor, White’s value is heftily above a near-$20 million per annum salary. Therefore, with a pristine injury history to boot, White is likelier to play it out and sign a new pact in 2026.
Unfortunately, the latter, more likely scenario would be especially damning for the Bulls. Chicago will ultimately have to fork over a substantial sum for White. A four-year, $130 million pact seems more on par for a player of White’s caliber, combined with an ever-increasing salary cap. While a $41 million raise over a period of four years isn’t too extreme in today’s climate, it comes at a time when eight of the Bulls’ 12 players’ contracts will expire. Preserving future salary cap space is of the essence if a future big fish is to be lured.
If Chicago is somehow able to retain and extend White through 2030, the result would be bountiful. The Bulls would not only lock in Giddey, whose contract might come at a discounted rate, they’d keep their leading scorer around for five more seasons. It’s a long shot that the 6-foot-5 guard signs a premature extension, but one that shouldn’t immediately be ruled out.