The Chicago Bulls keep getting younger.
Chicago has reportedly agreed on the terms of a five-year, $90M contract with a 22-year-old forward, marking the Bulls’ second major move of the summer after trading for 21-year-old playmaker Josh Giddey on June 20.
Patrick Williams, selected at No. 4 overall by Chicago in the 2020 NBA Draft, has officially become part of the Bulls’ future with the inking of the new deal.
Or, has he?
Chicago is sure to remain active on the trade market in the coming days, given its ongoing attempts to trade Zach LaVine and newly revealed desire to move Nikola Vučević.
Williams is guaranteed to remain a Bull for at least the next few months, as he cannot be traded until December 15 after signing his new deal.
Whether or not he will be excluded from trade discussions leading up to next season’s deadline is another matter, especially if Chicago has still failed to deal LaVine at that point.
While it makes sense for the Bulls to keep Williams moving forward because he fits with their new timeline, some feel that Williams’ new contract represents an overpay for Chicago, pointing to his 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 213 career games for the Bulls.
There’s also the concern that Williams is injury-prone — he was kept out of most of the 2021-22 season (17 games played) and much of last season (43 games played).
On the other hand, Williams’s 41.0 career three-point percentage and his ability to defend multiple positions indicate that he’s a legitimately valuable player in the modern NBA.
Williams is 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan, a frame that Chicago will lean on at the wing spot as they begin to construct a new defense.
As NBA contracts continue to inflate at a meteoric pace, Williams’ new deal might look like a steal for the Bulls in a year or two if he can stay healthy.
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