Bulls and Patrick Williams ready to continue partnership Originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
Following Wednesday’s first round of the NBA Draft, Chicago Bulls executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas said he would wait until free agency develops to declare the franchise’s identity.
But let’s not fool ourselves: the trend is increasingly younger.
Immediately after Karnišovas drafted 19-year-old Matas Buzelis that night, just days after trading veteran Alex Caruso for 21-year-old Josh Giddey, a source confirmed the Bulls are confident in re-signing the fifth-year forward . Patrick Williams when free agency opens Sunday night.
The Athletic reported that Williams intends to sign a five-year, $90 million contract. The verbal agreement will be finalized on Sunday, but Williams will not be able to officially sign until the league’s moratorium ends on July 6.
This salary would make sense given the difference between what the Bulls offered and what Williams and his agent were looking for before last season began in rookie extension talks.
Before last season, Williams rejected an offer that sources indicated at the time was for four years and about $64 million, although it is not known if this was a final offer or part of ongoing negotiations. Sources indicated at the time that Williams’ team was looking for a deal close to De’Andre Hunter’s four-year, $90 million contract, but could have accepted $20 million annually.
Therefore, for months, all signs pointed to Williams returning after a negotiation that had no major setbacks. And, since the salary cap will increase with the new television rights deal, Williams’ annual salary won’t be much higher than the mid-level exception at the end of this deal. It would represent 12.76 percent of next season’s projected $141 million salary cap.
After all, Williams is set to sign for $18 million annually following a season in which surgery cut his campaign short for the second time in four years. Williams, who turns 23 in August and represents Karnišovas’ first personal move as the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, averaged 10 points on 39.9 percent three-point shooting in 43 games.
On draft night, here’s what Karnišovas said about the health of Williams, who underwent surgery in February for a stress reaction in his left foot. Williams originally did not play after January 25 due to bone edema in that foot, but images taken as he prepared to return revealed that the injury had progressed.
“We have to look at his (Williams’) schedule, but he planned to be ready for training camp,” Karnišovas said on draft night.
Regardless of whether Williams is fully ready for training camp or not, he is positioned to land firmly in the Bulls’ youth movement. Beyond the acquisitions of Giddey and Buzelis, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips return for a team that may not be done shedding veterans even after the Caruso trade.
The Bulls have bought out Zach LaVine seemingly for good and sources indicated that on-and-off talks with the Sacramento Kings could still move forward. Meanwhile, Karnišovas’ tone on his stance on re-signing DeMar DeRozan changed dramatically on draft night.
“Everything is on the table,” Karnišovas said on draft night. “And, you know, it’s still an option.”
This marks a change from Karnišovas’ previous stance, which was that he would flat-out like DeRozan to return. Now, DeRozan is set to hit unrestricted free agency on Sunday night. And with Saturday’s news that Paul George has opted out, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that he will visit his current team, the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, there could be a domino effect for DeRozan.
League sources have indicated to keep an eye on the Clippers as a possible landing spot for DeRozan should George sign elsewhere.
As for Williams’ imminent signing, he is a career 41 percent three-point shooter with defensive versatility. Injuries have been out of his control, but even with his inconsistency and occasionally maddening stretches of passive play, he has shown the ability to be an outstanding “3 and D” player.
And with the league’s emphasis on wings and the need to defend multiple positions, Williams fits the bill. And that’s why the Bulls are ready to follow a similar path to the one they took with Coby White last offseason, proactively signing one of their own to keep him out of the restricted free agency game.
