Why The Chicago Bulls Should Not Trade Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams was a source of both frustration and excitement for Chicago Bulls fans during the 2022-2023 season. The 21-year-old forward has been a hot topic for almost two years due to his intriguing combination of size, athleticism, shooting prowess, defensive upside, and overall potential.

When put together, Williams holds the necessary ingredients for stardom – maybe even superstardom. However, very often Williams fails to put all those elements together, be that for a full season or even just a full game.

At 6’8 and 235 pounds, with a muscular frame and wide shoulders, Williams looks like a player who will bully you when going to the basket, and effectively assert his physical dominance on you.

Reality plays out a little different, though, as he averages just 1.3 free throw attempts per game, while playing over 28 minutes a night. While Williams’ imposing physical structure should allow him to absorb contact, his nature is very much different. The former Florida State product is much more of a finesse-driven player than a physical one, preferring instead to spread the floor as an off-ball shooter, or as a one-dribble pull-up shooter.

In fairness to Williams, he is effective in both those categories. The separation he is able to create from defenders on those pull-ups are startling, as he has an uncanny ability to decelerate and jump in what looks like one fluid motion. If given more opportunities to create shots in future seasons – and we’ll get to that later – there’s a decent chance Williams has already found a go-to move.

Despite the controversy surrounding his future in Chicago, and despite his passive and inconsistent play, it’s crucial the Bulls do not move off of Williams.

The former number four overall pick from the 2020 draft is, needless to say, expected to produce from what his draft slot indicates. However, his draft position needs to be forgotten about, and instead focus has to be given to what he does now, and what can be expected of him in the future.

Williams is a good defender, with the potential to become a great one. He’s able to guard most forwards, but is versatile enough to switch onto bigger players, and even smaller guards, when the situation calls for it. His footwork and understanding of placement, as well as which defensive angles to play, is fairly advanced for someone his age.

If you include his ability to hit the three-point shot, which he does at a 41.5% accuracy, and it’s pretty obvious that Williams’ worst-case long-term projection is as a 3-&-D player, something the Bulls have been lacking in previous seasons.

Furthermore, all hope isn’t lost when it comes to Williams turning into something more. Statistically, he’s on the same trajectory as Toronto’s OG Anunoby was at during his third season.

Anunoby, who came into the league a year older than Williams, played 29.9 minutes in his third year, and netted 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and shot 39.0% from three-point range.

Those numbers are eerily similar to Williams’ of 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 41.5% from range in 28.3 minutes.

One could argue that Anunoby was further ahead defensively, but him being a year older could even out some of that, providing more argument on behalf of Williams.

What changed for Anunoby after his third season, and what must change for Williams after his, is the role. Anunoby was quite simply given more to do offensively to prove he could become more than what he was. Williams, who has played behind Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vučević for most of his career, needs to be prioritized more than he’s been.

This isn’t to say a larger role automatically turns Williams into a star, but it does force him into a mindset where he has to take on more of a burden than before. His teammates, namely LaVine and DeRozan, have both indicated a strong willingness to let Williams absorb some of their responsibilities, and now might be time to actively force the ball his way.

If nothing else, there’s no certainty in Vučević returning this summer, given his status as an unrestricted free agent. Should he depart, that’s a fairly large amount of offense that will be in need of replacement.

Williams is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and while his inconsistency may prevent the Bulls from making an offer, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to lock him up now, assuming he gets better down the road. Given the market of young, athletic, 3-&-D wings is fairly expensive, a deal worth $16-17 million per year would be a decent offer, given where he is as a player right now.

If he makes it to restricted free agency next year, after a year of improved play, the Bulls would be looking at a contract presumably in the low-to-mid 20’s as opposed to mid-to-high teens.

Regardless, pivoting off Williams now could prove to be wasteful. The Bulls have a history of seeing their draft picks bloom elsewhere, such as with Jimmy Butler, Wendell Carter Jr, Lauri Markkanen. Adding another name to that list would be further indictment of an organization that fail to understand what it has on its own roster.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.