Bulls Ranked as Having One of the Worst Contracts in the NBA, Can They Fix That?

The Chicago Bulls may have gotten rid of Artuas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, but the impact of their tenure will be felt for years to come.

To be sure, Bryson Graham got luckier than many new executives with his relatively clean slate. Thanks to a long list of expiring contracts, he walked into the Advocate Center with legitimate roster and financial flexibility. At the same time, the reason he has to embrace a rebuild is because of the previous regime's failure to accumulate essentially any meaningful long-term assets.

Of course, Karniosvas had plenty of chances to get his hands on an obvious foundational piece. His very first offseason was eerily similar to that of Graham's, with the Bulls even securing the No. 4 pick in the draft. However, the Bulls' previous brain trust would proceed to gamble on Patrick Williams. And it has yet to pay off six years later.

Williams has repeatedly failed to build on his rookie season. Each year on his basketball reference page is nearly identical, with the only major change coming in the efficiency department ... and not in a good way. Nevertheless, Karniosvas and Company still agreed to reward Williams with a major contract extension to keep him off the free agency market. In 2024, he signed a five-year, $90.0 million deal. And it's fully guaranteed.

It's a downright crazy contract to look back on, so much so that CBS Sports' Sam Quinn threw it on his list of the Top 15 worst contracts in the NBA. He ranked it No. 8 overall, placing it just behind the Gary Trent Jr. deal with Milwaukee (4 years, $64.0 million) and just in front of Christian Braun's deal with the Nuggets (five years, $125.0 million).

On the one hand, it may sound a bit harsh, especially with how much money is thrown around in today's league. An $18.0 million AAV isn't the hardest to navigate around, right? After all, this is a Bulls team that's in rebuilding mode. It's not like Williams' contract is restricting them from doing what they want to do at this point.

On the other hand, the fact that Williams is owed $18.0 million a year and is on this list speaks volumes about just how bad he has been. Again, we're talking about someone who is fresh off averaging 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 37.2 percent shooting from the field. He's now shot sub-40.0 percent in each of the past two seasons.

We also have to consider that Williams will be making $18.0 million in each of the next three seasons. The final year is even a player option, meaning he can (and likely will) force the Bulls' hand. In other words, it may seem like easy money to work around now, but what about as Bryson Graham continues to build out this roster?

It's just extremely difficult to stomach paying someone who may not even be in the rotation this much money. Indeed, the past front office was basically indebted to Williams. They were going to do everything they could to make things work. Can we really say the same about this revamped front office and coaching staff?

If Graham and Tiago Splitter don't like what they see from Williams, they aren't going to play him. Simple as that. And if Williams does come out playing like he has the past two seasons, it's almost a guarantee that he will be on the outside looking in. This is especially true when we consider the current forwards on this roster. Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis will be the priority. Swingman Dailyn Swain will also need minutes, while Leonard Miller looked more than worthy of a role at the end of last year.

The only good news is that there should be no lack of motivation for Williams to turn the corner. Is he going to live up to this current contract? It's unlikely, but there is at least a world where he can make it look a lot more palatable. After all, Williams has long been a solid three-point shooter and undoubtedly has the frame to be a plus defender. Turning into a stable 3-and-D guy could be all it takes to move him off these rankings entirely.

Speaking of which ...

Will the Bulls Try to Move Patrick Williams?

Mar 18, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) defends against Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While there is a case to make that Patrick Williams is out of the Chicago Bulls' rotation entirely, there is also a case to make that it's best for the Bulls to play him. Not only could this continue to help with his overall development, but it could also help raise his stock slightly.

Look, it's hard to imagine that this current front office views Williams as a long-term piece. There has already been tons of speculation that they could attempt to get off his contract in the near future, as they clearly value a clean cap sheet and maximum flexibility. At the same time, the only way the Bulls could do that as of now is to fork over meaningful draft capital alongside the 24-year-old, and doing that is obviously counterintuitive to their whole mission.

The only other alternative is to attempt to put Williams in a position to succeed and see if any teams come calling. What exactly does that look like? It's up to Tiago Splitter to figure that out. But even if Williams can look decent enough to make pairing him with a couple of seconds palatable to a team, it feels like the Bulls would heavily consider that.

Regardless, the expectation shouldn't be that a move comes any time soon. The contract is that undesirable in the eyes of other teams, and the Bulls simply aren't in a place where giving up assets is worth it. So whether it be as an eighth man or as a garbage-time guy, Bulls fans should expect to see Williams sticking around for at least another season or two.

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