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Behind the scenes: Giddey's agent reveals workings of $100m extension
Jaiden Sciberras • November 19th, 2025 8:45 am
Australian basketball has developed exponentially, with homegrown stars leading the line on the biggest stage in 2025.
As it stands, the NBA plays host to 14 Australian-born players, however as the 2025/26 season ramps up, Australian ballers are proving far more than your average role player.
Josh Giddey has led the charge for the Chicago Bulls, putting up numbers no Bull has managed since Michael Jordan, while Dyson Daniels continues to anchor the Atlanta Hawks defence to the highest degree.
And it goes far beyond the here and now, with Indiana’s walking highlight reel in Johnny Furphy, Duke guard turned Cleveland Cavalier Tyrese Proctor and 7’2” unicorn Rocco Zikarsky of the Minnesota Timberwolves all marking the next generation of Aussie NBA stars.
Behind the NBA’s top Aussie talents is player agent Daniel Moldovan, working behind the scenes to elevate Australians to household names in world sport.
“It’s taken a lot of work to get where we are now,” Moldovan told SEN Breakfast.
“NBA teams want an Australian on the roster. They think that it’s great for chemistry purposes.
“We are not producing players that are stat hunting and dreaming of being on billboards and have entourages around them with bad information being whispered into their ears.
“It’s a winning formula these days to have an Australian on the roster, and that’s why we are seeing such an explosion of talent on NBA teams.
“I believe that by 2032, when the Brisbane Olympics are around, I’d be shocked if we had less than 22 to 24 Australians in the NBA.”
Moldovan, president of Lighthouse Sports Management, anchored Giddey’s contract extension with the Bulls, cashing in on a four-year, $100-million (USD) deal to remain in Windy City.
While both Giddey and the Bulls were determined to reach an agreement, negotiations dragged out to just weeks before the NBA’s opening night, signing on just three days before the start of the official pre-season.
Joining the Bulls via a trade that sent now two-time NBA champion Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey’s future with Chicago was never in doubt despite the contract standoff.
“Back when Josh’s third season ended on somewhat of a sour note, being benched in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, we had discussions with OKC about a potential extension,” Moldovan revealed.
“They were amazing to work with in that we both agreed that the direction Josh wanted to take his career and the role that he was probably going to evolve into at OKC just wasn’t a fit.
“We were very lucky where Josh got traded to. One way or another, Josh knows that he is a long-term starter and budding star in this league.
“He knew that the details of the deal or the timeline with which it all would have taken place could differ, but Josh knew that one way or another, he was going to end up with a multi-year deal in a place that he wants to be and a place that clearly wants him.
“We all would have loved for it to take place on day one of free agency; unfortunately, these days, restricted free agency is a very tricky and at times tough process, but we got it done.
“Josh was kept informed and breadth to the situation every step of the way. He is not your average athlete in that he always remains level-headed. He understands the big picture, and he understands that there is a business side of this.
“The teams trying to do the best things for them, and the player and the agent are trying to do the best thing for them, but one way or another, there’s always a happy medium at the end.
“That’s where we got to, and I think that this deal, whilst it is a great deal for a 23-year-old to put pen and paper to, it's going to pale in comparison to what’s coming in his future.”
Moldovan also leads the line for Australia’s defensive star Daniels, who also signed onto a four-year, $100-million deal to remain in Atlanta.
Enduring a breakout season in 2024/25, Daniels was awarded the NBA’s Most Improved Player, averaging 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals across the season.
However, while the Most Improved Player award was well deserved, Daniels’ defensive statistics were more than enough to constitute the coveted Defensive Player of the Year.
Daniels, nicknamed ‘The Great Barrier Thief’, accumulated 229 total steals across the NBA season, the most totalled by any player in a single season since Gary Payton in 1995/96. Equivalent to three steals per game, Daniels was the first player to achieve this feat since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91.
And while Daniels was credited for his defensive efforts with a nod to First-Team All-Defence, the Hawk was adjudicated the second-best defender, finishing runner up to Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.
“There were some very puzzled close associates of Dyson to that decision,” Moldovan said.
“Congratulations to Evan Mobley, phenomenal player, but Dyson had a defensive season that we haven’t seen in 30 years. It was a tough pill to swallow.
“I’m happy he won the most improved player of the year, but I think we can comfortably say that even though it is an award that seems to go to big men every year, that our young man from Bendigo is the best perimeter defender on the planet.”
While Dyson has already established himself as an NBA specialist, younger brother Dash has the potential to go one step further.
The 17-year-old currently suits up for Melbourne United in the NBL, averaging six points and three boards per game in his rookie season, and with a 6’10” wingspan, Dash’s elite defensive capabilities and immense potential see him in and amongst the lottery prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft.
“We’re talking about the kind of money that Josh and Dyson have just signed… with the 10 per cent increase on the salary cap on an annual basis, just wait until you see what Dash Daniels’ second NBA contract is going to look like!” Moldovan said.
With the persistent growth of the NBL and the rising stardom of Australians abroad, the Boomers’ squad currently ranks sixth in the FIBA Men’s World Rankings, with significant room for growth before the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
