CHICAGO — The Bulls and former first-round draft pick Patrick Williams have reportedly agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract, thus avoiding free agency for the 22-year-old forward.
Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the deal on X late Saturday night, citing league sources. ESPN subsequently reported sources confirmed the deal.
Williams, who the Bulls selected No. 4 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Florida State, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer but now returns to the Bulls on a new contract. The deal includes a player option for the fifth year, ESPN reports.
Per the NBA’s offseason calendar, teams can officially begin negotiating with upcoming free agents at 5 p.m. Sunday. Free agents can’t actually sign until 11:01 a.m. on July 6, so Williams’ deal with the Bulls won’t become official until then.
Williams has had an up and down first four seasons with the Bulls, which have been plagued by injuries. He holds career averages of 9.7 points per game on 46.9% shooting from the field, along with 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per contest.
Last season, he averaged 10 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 44.3% from the field, 39.9% from 3-point range and 78.8% from the free-throw line.
Williams has struggled to stay on the floor, however.
After starting all 71 of the Bulls’ games during his rookie season of 2020-21 — that season was shortened from 82 games due to the pandemic — Williams played in just 17 games, starting nine, in 2021-22 after breaking his wrist. He bounced back to play in all 82 games in 2022-23, starting 65, but his 2023-24 season was ended in February by surgery on his left foot after just 43 games, 30 of them starts.
Despite the injury history, Williams is still young. He won’t turn 23 until August, and it’s likely the Bulls see him as a key piece to what they hope will be a budding young core.
Coby White, drafted seventh overall by the Bulls a year before Williams, is still just 24 and is coming off a breakout 2023-24 season. Earlier this month, the Bulls traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey, who’s only 21.
And in last week’s draft, the Bulls selected 19-year-old Matas Buzelis — a Chicagoland native who played one season of high school basketball at Hinsdale Central — at No. 11 overall.