The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a crucial off-season, as the team enters the post-Zach LaVine era.
After shipping off the two-time All-Star, a youth-based approach is clearly the preference in the Windy City, with key pieces such as Matas Buzelis and Coby White looking to bring a fresh approach to a franchise who has been stuck in mediocrity for over a decade.
But the crux of the Bulls entire off-season approach could be Josh Giddey, the Australian floor general who has evolved into an offensive maestro for Chicago.
Are the Chicago Bulls building around Josh Giddey?
The Chicago Bulls leveraged a large amount of their future success on Giddey last off-season, trading two-time All-Defensive team selection Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for him straight up, despite reports of trade offers featuring multiple picks and young players existing.
After a rough start, Giddey found his form towards the back half of the season, and finished his debut campaign in Chicago with averages of 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, helping them to a play-in appearance where they fell to Miami.
It is clear the Bulls see him as their point guard of the future, but before they begin to build around him they will need to put their money where their mouth is, with Giddey a restricted free agent who is reportedly seeking a five-year, US$150 million deal - which it seems likely the Bulls will agree to.
From here, the draft will be the next chance for Chicago to set up the team in Giddey's vision.
Most mock drafts have the Bulls using their 12th overall pick to select a big man - Sporting News, ESPN and The Athletic have circled Maryland's Derik Queen, Bleacher Report predicted Georgia's Asa Newell, both exciting young bigs who would be dangerous in an offence orchestrated by Giddey.
This will then continue into the rest of the off-season and free agency, where Nikola Vučević and Lonzo Ball are both reportedly on the trade block and Chicago seeks to continue a youth-first approach.
If Giddey can keep his late-season form heading into next year, alongside a retooled roster that suits his strengths, then both he and the Bulls could surprise a lot of people in the NBA.