How Will the New Bulls Front Office Solve the Patrick Williams Problem?

While it may not be reflected in the 2026-27 win-loss column, a lot changed for the Chicago Bulls this offseason.

The organization finally welcomed in new leadership, hiring Bryson Graham as the replacement for the Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley regime. What came next was a slew of additional front office tweaks and the naming of Tiago Splitter as the franchise's next head coach.

What really jump-started the youth movement for the Bulls, however, was the lottery luck. The Bulls took a jump from the No. 9 slot to No. 4, putting them in position to draft Caleb Wilson, who was among the most highly-touted players in the 2026 class. On top of that, they selected Dailyn Swain at No. 15 thanks to holding the rights to the Portland Trail Blazers' first-round selection.

The two rookies will now serve as the foundation of an intriguing and developing nucleus alongside Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey. As Chicago's new brain trust considers its next steps, development is very clearly their No. 1 priority. It's why they also used their cap space to bring in multiple veterans to show their youngsters the ropes. This included Norman Powell on a team-friendly two-year deal, as well as Nic Claxton on his descending contract.

In other words, roster fit hasn't been at the top of mind. This current Bulls group is undoubtedly lacking in a couple of areas, including backcourt depth. It's hard not to chuckle about that after seeing the guard-heavy group that ended the 2025-26 campaign. However, Graham has shown that he prefers a far different type of player, stuffing this new-look team with a handful of long and athletic wings.

Wilson, Buzelis, Swain, Isaac Okoro, Leonard Miller, and Patrick Williams are all used to clocking the majority of their minutes at either the three or four. Heck, even Jalen Smith showed last year that he can be effective sliding over at power forward. This gluttony of forwards means that someone is going to be the odd man out.

And that someone could very well be the player cashing the biggest checks.

The Patrick Williams Problem

Apr 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) stands on the court during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Patrick Williams has more to prove than anyone on the Chicago Bulls roster.

Year after year, the former No. 4 overall pick has failed to show signs of growth. If anything, Williams has only regressed since coming into the league in 2020, when he averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds a night.

We've seen this show up most in his ball-handling and offensive efficiency. Despite carrying an intimidating and athletic frame, Williams has been allergic to creating contact around the rim and finishing through physicality. He shot a career-low 37.2 percent from the field in 2025-26.

To his rare credit, Williams has at least been a serviceable floor-spacer. His 38.1 percent success rate is better than anyone would have imagined when he came out of FSU. However, Williams isn't taking enough of these shots nor providing consistently impactful enough defense to make up for his other flaws. He can't be trusted to put the ball on the floor. He isn't an aggressive rebounder. He isn't a pick-pocket specialist or weak-side rim protector.

Williams has, unfortunately, become the kind of player you forget is even out there. May he have his well-balanced box scores on certain nights? Sure, but it's not nearly consistent enough to warrant a spot in the rotation, particularly when you have (1) other players to develop and (2) other players offering far more two-way energy.

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley refused to give up on Williams. He was their first-ever draft pick and someone who they doubled-down with to the tune of a five-year, $90.0 million guaranteed contract. They likely knew that part of saving their jobs was to make Williams work.

Bryson Graham doesn't care about that.

The new front office is no longer indebted to Williams. May he be the fourth-highest paid player on their current cap sheet? Yes, but they didn't agree to those terms and will not let that influence how they divvy up playing time.

If Williams wants to remain on the court, he's going to have to earn it. And that's going to be A LOT easier said than done with the wings on this roster. Wilson and Buzelis will obviously eat up more minutes. Swain is one of the few hand-picked players by this front office and will thus command more attention. Okoro, who has been far from a revelation, has consistently outperformed Williams. Meanwhile, Miller broke out in the second half of last year and gave the new front office convincing enough tape to pick up his option. He also fits Graham's SLAP profile to a T!

It's possible that Swain plays more at the two or heads to the G League for a little, thus opening up more space to squeeze Williams in somewhere. Okoro's lack of shooting could lead to some stints for Williams, as well. But the point stands: Among the wings on this current roster, Williams projects to be the least deserving of minutes.

Maybe something finally clicks this summer. Maybe Splitter will be the right guy to finally light a fire under his you-know-what. Still, all we have to go on right now is what we've seen, and Williams has looked like nothing more than a capsheet eyesore. The Bulls can at least deal with that for the time being, as they have plenty of financial flexibility, even with Williams making $18.0 million a year until 2028-29. However, what happens once Graham does want to start making bigger moves?

It's not going to be surprising if we start to hear rumors about Chicago trying to get off Williams' deal. Doing so would only make them a greater sleeping giant in the trade market and free agency. At the same time, the last thing the Bulls want to do is give up future assets to move the contract, which is almost certainly what they would have to do at this point in time.

With that in mind, their only hope might be that a team trying to make a bigger deal becomes open to using Williams' mid-tier salary to pull it off. Even that, however, is wishful thinking.

The much more likely situation is that Chicago is genuinely stuck with having this contract on their books. It's an uncomfortable place to be, particularly knowing that Williams may be out of the rotation from the jump. Work your magic, Bryson!

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