The Chicago Bulls are in a curious spot. After starting the season 6-1, the Bulls now have a 9-10 record and seem destined for their streak of being a Play-In team. However, now more than ever before, the Bulls must pick a clear direction. They owe a lottery-protected first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, and Coby White is a free agent this summer.
In a loaded 2026 draft class, maintaining their pick would be greatly beneficial. At the same time, the Bulls have been mediocre for so long, and the East is wide open, so it could make sense for Chicago to be buyers at the trade deadline. Currently, the Bulls seem committed to the latter approach.
Recently, Jamal Collier of ESPN reported that the Bulls view Josh Giddey as their Tyrese Haliburton and that they are eyeing their version of the Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam trade. I can't get behind this vision.
"They have Haliburton, who is an All-Star, and they have Siakam," one Bulls source told ESPN. "If Giddey can develop into an All-Star and be what Hali was, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?"
The differences between Giddey and Haliburton
Listen, Giddey is having a fantastic season and is an early Most Improved candidate. He is averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 9.3 assists, on 46.9/39.2/74.5 shooting splits. However, let's not kid ourselves, Giddey is no Tyrese Haliburton, who is a top 15 to 20 level player when healthy. Giddey is a clear notch below Haliburton. That's fine, you can still win with him, but he's not good enough to justify an all-in move.
The biggest thing that separates Giddey and Haliburton is shooting. Yes, Giddey is averaging 39.2 percent from beyond the arc, but he's a career 33.4 percent 3-point shooter who was played off the floor (and later traded) due to his lack of shooting in the 2024 playoffs.
Giddey's 4.6 3-point attempts don't come close to Haliburton's 7.7 attempts from last year. Moreover, 3.4 of Giddey's 4.6 3s are wide open. It's great that Giddey has figured out how to knock down open 3s, but that doesn't mean he's close to Haliburton.
The Pacers' system worked so well in large part due to Hali's elite shooting; that's not something you can replicate with Giddey.
Even as a playmaker, Haliburton is a clear level up from Giddey. Yes, Giddey's assist numbers are similar to Haliburton's. Regardless, per Cleaning the Glass, Haliburton ranked in the 97th percentile for assist-to-usage ratio, while Giddey ranks in the 75th percentile for this stat. Haliburton is a better decision-maker and more versatile passer than Giddey.
With all due respect to Giddey, there are levels to this.
Who would the Bulls' Siakam be?
The other part of this idea I can't get behind is who the Bulls' version of Siakam would be.
In all likelihood, it would be Anthony Davis. The injury risk with the 32-year-old big man is undeniable. Even still, the Bulls would have to trade valuable future draft picks and gut their depth to land him. For reference, the Siakam trade cost the Pacers three first-round picks even though he was on an expiring contract. Additionally, with Davis, the Bulls aren't clear contenders, even in a weak Eastern Conference. It's simply not worth it.
Domantas Sabonis is another name that could fit this mold, who could be available. However, his lack of shooting and defense makes building a contender around him challenging. And much like Davis, trading for him would still cost the Bulls some valuable assets.
Lauri Markkanen is another All-Star-level player whom the Bulls could target. Regardless, he would be the most expensive player of the bunch, and the Bulls would have to risk trading even more draft capital to get him. Again, trading for Markkanen wouldn't make the Bulls contenders.
Trading for one of the star guards who could be available, including Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, or Ja Morant, wouldn't make sense with Giddey in mind.
The Bulls are in a different spot than the Pacers were when they traded for Siakam. Indiana was a top-six seed, and Siakam helped them reach another level. Trading for an All-Star level player would help the Bulls make the playoffs, but not put together a deep playoff run.
Giddey is still 23, and the Bulls have some nice young players around him, most notably Matas Buzelis. To me, the clearest path for the Bulls to eventually build a contender is focusing on their young talent and securing their first-round pick in a loaded draft class. Going all-in on this core would be a massive mistake, which the Bulls unfortunately seem ready to make.