Chicago Bulls rumors: Possible sign-and-trade with Thunder

The Chicago Bulls are a mystery whose intentions this offseason are still unclear. 

Are they going to finally embrace some kind of rebuild? Tear it down completely? Run it back with the same team (probably)? Tinker around the edges? 

One of the toughest decisions is restricted free agent Patrick Williams, a player who has yet to live up to his draft status but may have too much talent to give away. The Bulls went down this road with Lauri Markkanen with disastrous results, but they also can’t commit too much to a player who hasn’t proven he can stay healthy and contribute consistently. 

Even if the Bulls want to keep Williams, they may have competition for his services. 

Chicago Bulls free agency: Competing for Patrick Williams 

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (Subscription) reported that the OKC Thunder may have interest in Williams. 

The Thunder will have enough cap space to throw around, so this could put the Bulls into an uncomfortable position. 

The Bulls don’t want to get into a full-scale bidding war, and if that’s what happens, may turn to a sign-and-trade rather than lose Williams for nothing. 

My first thought is that if the Thunder, a team that has done well identifying and developing young talent, really wants Williams then maybe it’s a sign the Bulls should keep him. 

If it came down to a sign-and-trade, the Thunder have plenty of players and draft assets to offer up, though sign-and-trades rarely favor the team that is trading the player away. 

Here are two possible trades the Thunder could offer up for Patrick Williams that would likely represent best-case scenarios.