Chicago Bulls: LeBron James changed his mind on Josh Giddey

Before the trade deadline, the Chicago Bulls got rid of Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic.

The Bulls hope to help build around a young core of Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.

Chicago invested in Giddey during the offseason, signing him to a four-year contract extension worth $100 million in September.

Giddey, a 2021 first-round pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder, is averaging a team-high 18.6 points per game to go along with 8.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists. His 46.2 percent on field goals ranks No. 90 in the association.

Before Sunday’s 2026 NBA All-Star Game, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was asked about Giddey’s development.

James gave an honest answer on Giddey, saying the guard struggled as a shooter in Oklahoma City. James changed his mind on the six-foot-seven, 216-pound athlete after seeing him become a much better scoring threat with the Bulls.

“His knock was when he left OKC was his ability to shoot the ball,” James said. “Now he’s shooting the ball. You can’t just sag off of him, you can’t just lay off of him and dare him to shoot.

“He’s actually shooting the ball at a high clip. Chicago has a really good player in him.”