Late Saturday, less than 24 hours before NBA teams can start talking to free agents, the Bulls agreed to a five-year, $90 million deal with forward Patrick Williams.
The Sun-Times reported last week that the organization had Williams, 22, as its top priority once the free-agent frenzy was set to begin.
The former No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft was putting together a solid, albeit inconsistent, 2023-24 season before having to be shut down after 43 games to have foot surgery. But even with the injury, the Bulls still believe in a three-and-“D” wing, who has emerged as not only one of their better defenders, but also a career 41% shooter from three-point range.
Because Williams was set to be a restricted free agent, the Bulls could have matched any offer that came his way. But much like they did with Coby White at this time last year, they didn’t want to become victims of the market and wanted to move forward with Williams in the mix.
The next big issue that needs to be addressed is what to do with free agent DeMar DeRozan. There’s also the ongoing trade talks surrounding Zach LaVine.