(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bulls haven’t found that much success with the players they’ve drafted over the past decade or so.
It took him longer than expected to hit, but Coby White may have become the exception last season.
They had high hopes for Patrick Williams, who often drew comparisons to Kawhi Leonard, but he hasn’t shown much in four seasons in the league.
He missed most of his second year and half of his fourth season, and his scoring touch — or lack thereof — has been an issue more often than not.
Even so, the Bulls will give Williams a five-year contract extension worth $90 million, according to a report by Shams Charania.
Patrick Williams intends to sign a five-year, $90 million deal to return to the Chicago Bulls, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/L4ImJS29xf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024
On the surface, $18 million a year for a 22-year-old former lottery pick is actually good value.
Nonetheless, Williams hasn’t shown much to prove that he’s ever going to be a star in this league.
His defense has been great against forwards, but he’s gotten outhustled more often than not.
He doesn’t take or make enough threes to be considered a 3-and-D kind of player, and he’s missed a lot of games during his career.
There’s still a chance that he will develop into an elite wing defender, and those come at a plus price, but he’ll have to take a big leap forward.
The Bulls are rebuilding and need to give Matas Buzelis as many touches as he can handle, so it’ll be interesting to see how coach Billy Donovan will stagger their minutes, especially with them also looking to drive Zach LaVine’s trade value up.
The post Patrick Williams, Bulls Announce New Contract Extension appeared first on The Cold Wire.