The Chicago Bulls took care of another significant piece of business. They kicked off their offseason with a flurry of coaching changes before a trade sending Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the 2024 draft bearing down, just two days away, the Bulls extended the qualifying offer to Patrick Williams.
The deal will pay Williams $13 million in 2024-25.
“The Bulls have extended the qualifying offer to Patrick Williams, league source tells @YahooSports, making him a restricted free agent,” Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported on X on June 24.
Williams was candid about his desire to stay with the Bulls at the end of the season.
“I would love to continue to be a Bull,” Williams told reporters on February 24. “I love it here; I love the opportunity we have to build a culture, build something special with this group, with this team.
Williams said he believed he was a cornerstone piece for the team. But he acknowledged that the NBA is a business.
Patrick Williams Has Been Self-Critical About Inconsistency
The No. 4 overall pick of the 2020 draft, Williams averaged 10.0 points with 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc last season. He also provided solid perimeter defense.
However, his season was shortened by injuries for the second time in the last four years.
The lack of durability – though he did play 71 games as a rookie and 82 games in 2022-23 – underscores that he has not performed up to expectations, both placed upon him and his own.
“I wanted to be more consistent,” he said via The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry in April 2023. “I wanted to play-make a little bit more; show that I can do that. Obviously, every player wants to be able to make plays down the stretch and be able to do that down the stretch. I think I have the skill to do it, I think the opportunity was there. I don’t think I grasped it. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t.”
That was again the story for Williams, even after direct challenges from management.
This move makes sense for the Bulls. They retain control over Williams’ rights and position themselves to land draft capital if he signs with another team. Fischer linked the Thunder Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors to Williams in free agency.
Patrick Williams Rejected Bulls’ Long-Term Contract Offer: Report
“Williams turned down a contract proposal before the season and previously said—before this injury—that he had no regrets doing so,” NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson wrote on February 24. “Sources at the time indicated the Chicago Bulls’ offer was in the neighborhood of four years for $64 million with a team option.”
Johnson was uncertain if the Bulls’ offer was final or part of their negotiations. He also noted the belief that Williams is seeking a deal worth up to $90 million over four years.
There was also outside interest in Williams before that report.
“Other rival executives are quietly monitoring the availability of former No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams ahead of the deadline, given he failed to sign an extension with Chicago,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote on February 5.
Teams could begin negotiating with their free agents as soon as the NBA Finals ended. The league’s legal tampering period begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
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