Built like a Bull: The case against trading Patrick Williams

There has been speculation across the NBA leading up to the Feb. 10 Trade Deadline regarding the Chicago Bulls and what they may do to address their current roster needs. Much of the noise has been about the East being wide open this season and to say that the Bulls should move to capitalize on this DeMar DeRozan-sized window, right now.

As chronicled on this site and many others, Jerami Grant has been a popular name for the Bulls who are in need of a long, switchable perimeter defender who can attempt to slow down the likes of Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokoumpo in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The cost of doing business for a player like Grant or even Harrison Barnes from Sacramento is rumored to be Patrick Williams plus salary filler (perhaps some draft capital) and in either case, I would say emphatically that this is a TERRIBLE idea for our beloved Bulls.

There are multiple factors that could go into the Bulls’ title contender window opening wide.

That exists this year with Kyrie only playing away games, Harden out of shape, and KD hurt for the Nets. The Bucks are seemingly on an all-time championship hangover. And the Ben Simmons Saga is unresolved as of this moment.

Chicago Bulls should stay away from the idea of trading Patrick Williams, even if it’s for Jerami Grant

And knowing that Miami is dealing with what seems like two new injuries every week and Cleveland still a year or two away from being truly competitive, the Bulls trading Williams at the deadline for one of the aforementioned wing stoppers would be the peak of shortsightedness.

Williams tracks out to be at least as good a defender and shooter as Grant and more so than Barnes. As a rookie we watched Pat get every single brutal defensive assignment possible (KD, Giannis, Beal, Harden, Siakam, Kawhi, LeBron, Oh My!) while also functioning as a connecting play-maker on offense and at times, certainly prior to the Vucevic trade, as a secondary scorer in the mid-range both with and without LaVine on the court.

Simply looking at the numbers doesn’t do Williams justice. In order to contextualize his value, he must be studied in real-time, on the court, through the eyes of someone who inherently knows the game.

Williams doesn’t do the flashy stuff like Lavine’s game-breaking dunks or Lonzo’s full-court dimes. Pat Williams does the dirty work. He makes the right play, effectively guards the best basketball players on planet earth, hits open jumpers (and some contested ones), and does the whole thing with a steely calm so invaluable to a locker room looking to make a deep playoff run.

Let’s also factor in that one of the most unique and important skill-sets in the modern NBA is the in-between-man. The 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 player with a seven-foot-plus wingspan who also has the basketball IQ and athleticism to defend successfully from CP3 to Durant (think Kawhi, Draymond, Mikal Bridges).

Williams does that while still contributing positively to the team’s offense with their passing, shooting, and ability to take slower defenders off the dribble (Miles Bridges, Paul George).

Certainly, the Bulls have as good a shot as anyone in the East this season to make the NBA Finals and who knows how long DeMar will be able to provide MVP-esque numbers, but the future of this team is exponentially brighter with Patrick Williams in it. Grant is not the difference between winning a title or not winning one but Williams can be.

Hopefully, Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley have the wherewithal to recognize this and prioritize keeping and developing Pat. The timing of his injury has certainly left this Bulls lineup temporarily wounded but it would be an injustice to take that hope away from Bulls fans in the name of a dime-store, band-aid move.