If someone told me that the Chicago Bulls had made a huge mistake, I’d have to ask them to be more specific.
The loss of Andre Drummond for nothing?
Or do you want to dig further into their long history of mismanaged assets?
The specific mistake in this case is the 5 year/$90 million contract given to Patrick Williams.
The Bulls have little young talent, so it makes sense that they brought back Williams, who has the makings of a good 3-and-D wing.
But that contract was an overpay for a guy who hasn’t stayed healthy, which has stunted his development to the point that he’s made virtually no progress since joining the league.
It looks even worse when you see what DeRozan ended up getting, especially when there wasn’t much reported interest in Williams and no teams gave him an offer sheet. It looks like the Bulls outbid themselves and then tacked a player option to the end of the deal, which is crazy given that Williams is just off a surgery that cost him half the season.
The Bulls are stuck with him now, a bet that could pay off for them if he reaches his potential, but if not, they may be back in a familiar place.
Patrick Williams injury update: Did the Bulls back another injured player?
The Bulls would have been more competitive in the Eastern Conference last season if they had gotten more than 68 combined games from the trio of Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams.
LaVine and Ball are certified injury-prone players at this point, and Williams may be joining them according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who had this to say on a recent episode of Bernstein and Holmes Show:
"I’ve heard that he’s still not healthy from this foot injury. And so, that does make you kind of wonder if there are some issues with his body, if he’s going to linger. Not just with injury, but any injury that comes over the lifespan of this new contract..."
If this is true, that is worrying news for the Bulls. Williams has been out since January 25th and the initial timeline for recovery was four months, so he is already behind schedule.
Injury Update: Patrick Williams, who has been sidelined since Jan 25 with initial bone edema in his left foot, recently underwent routine subsequent imaging revealing the progression of his foot stress reaction.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 23, 2024
He will undergo surgery and be out for the remainder of the season.
Is this an injury that is going to linger into the season? Williams has already had wrist surgery as well, so there have to be concerns that the Bulls have just given a big contract to another injury-prone player, following in the footsteps of Zach LaVine.
I’m sure the Bulls knew all of this before they offered this deal (I hope...they did...right?!?), but if so, why weren’t they able to get a better one? Why did they give a player option to a guy who has proven nothing, had no other suitors and is currently injured?
Patrick Williams may end up being a good player, but this deal was botched by the Bulls and looks worse by the day.