Josh Giddey has the Mavericks to thank for his new mega deal

When free agency began, Josh Giddey was one of the hottest names on the restricted free agent market. While Giddey would have garnered plenty of attention on the open market, teams were limited in exploring a deal with the Australian guard due to contract stipulations and the fact that the Chicago Bulls would have 24 hours to match any qualifying offer for the four-year veteran.

Since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade to acquire Alex Caruso, Giddey has been on a mission to prove his value around the league, and while in Chicago, he has reached some of his career-highs across the board. Giddey would go on to average 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game in his first season with the Bulls.

Giddey has no doubt become a household name since the last calendar year, but after a long contract dispute between Chicago and Giddey, the two have finally agreed on a ludicrous four-year $100 million contract, and the Dallas Mavericks may be to thank for the Australian's first massive contract.

How the Mavericks quietly set Josh Giddey up for the perfect contract

As a member of the Thunder, Giddey was quickly becoming one of their odd men out due to a looming contract extension that would have surely limited the Thunder and the moves they could have made during the 2023-24 NBA season, despite fitting the young timeline the Thunder have worked hard to build.

When the Thunder grasped the first seed as one of the league's youngest teams, every fan questioned if they could back it up in the playoffs. Before playing the Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, Giddey and the Thunder were dominating as they steamrolled past the New Orleans Pelicans before running into a wall in Dallas.

Not only would the Mavericks defy all odds by even making it to the second round of the playoffs, but Giddey would quickly be played out of the Thunder's rotation by the first two games. Not only was Giddey yanked out of his clutch time role, but due to Dallas' relentless defense and ability to rush Giddey with the ball, he became virtually unplayable.

Dallas would also do a phenomenal job of forcing Giddey into the corners to shoot open threes, which resulted in free possessions due to his shooting woes past the 3-point line. While Giddey would eventually get pulled from the starting unit by Game 5, it was already clear that he wasn't going to be a long-term piece for the Thunder moving forward.

Giddey was not only forced to become a better perimeter shooter, which he has done since playing in Chicago by shooting just under 38 percent from the 3-point line, but the Mavericks highlighted some clear weaknesses in Giddey's game that he has since worked on.

With this in mind, the Thunder would trade Giddey to Chicago, where he would take advantage of his opportunity playing a system that didn't highlight a primary ball handler. The Mavericks not only gave Giddey a second redemption at reviving his NBA career, but they also helped him earn his first triple-figure contract in the league.

Throughout that playoff run, P.J. Washington would make a name for himself as an elite perimeter defender as well as becoming Dallas' Thunder stopper, which still holds to this day. Washington not only became a primary defender throughout that historic playoff run, but he was also one of the reasons Giddey failed to have any impact in Oklahoma City's postseason, which is why he is now in Chicago.