The Chicago Bulls have made some questionable decisions in recent years, but they might be able to flip the script on one.
Over the past few years, the Bulls have been stuck in arguably the worst position any team can find itself in by consistently being in the middle. After making play-in appearances for each of the past three seasons, the Bulls have been looking to find a clear direction.
Considering they have no true star as of now, they likely need to bottom out and try their luck in the draft. Of course, getting a high pick doesn’t always pan out, as evidenced by Chicago’s most recent top-five pick.
In 2020, the Bulls had the No. 4 pick and used it to draft Patrick Williams. After four seasons of hoping for the youngster to break out, he was given a five-year, $90 million extension in 2024.
However, another year without much progress on the court has put Williams in an odd position. In a recent Bleacher Report article, Zach Buckley listed Williams as one of the players under 25 who most needed a trade.
After having arguably the worst season of his career last season, it’s hard to argue that Chicago would be better off without him. However, trading his remaining four years and $72 million could be difficult, especially considering the type of trouble players widely viewed as better than Williams are having in the restricted free agency market.
With Chicago rightfully shifting its focus to more recent draft picks, there won’t be much of a runway for Williams to play into his contract.