The Chicago Bulls’ 128-116 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night moved them to 10 games under .500 on the season with a 30-40 record through 70 games to show for it. They currently hold the ninth seed by half of a game and are very well on their way to participating in the Play-In tournament for a third straight year.
The front office elected to move off the organization’s most recognized player since Jimmy Butler in Zach LaVine before last month’s trade deadline. This move gave fans hope that a full-scale rebuild would finally be taking place in Chicago, but the team not finding a trade partner for big man Nikola Vucevic quickly squashed those dreams.
Keeping the future in mind should still remain on the forefront for Bulls’ management. They currently have a solid crop of young talent to work with, but there is one former first round pick that a lead insider believes that the team needs to move on from as soon as possible.
Chicago Bulls insider is out on Patrick Williams
Bulls writer and insider Joe Cowley is officially “done” with Patrick Williams. Cowley appeared on 670 The Score and voiced his displeasures with the 2020 first round pick’s play throughout his time in the Windy City.
“I think he has lost his love for basketball,” Cowley says. “He would probably dispute that.”
.@JCowleyHoops is "done" with Patrick Williams in Chicago, he told @SpiegsAndHolmes.
Cowley believes only a change of scenery can turn around Williams' career.
"I think he has lost his love for basketball," Cowley says. "He would probably dispute that." pic.twitter.com/PSiWwN7eBd
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) March 20, 2025
Williams has never truly lived up to the hype after being the fourth overall pick in his draft class. He is averaging 8.8 points, 2.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season in 51 games played. The former Florida State Seminole has started in 35 games this year and is shooting 37.8% from the field to go with his 34.4% mark from three-point land. He has averaged over 10 points per game in his last two season, but his scoring touch has been off this year.
Health has been a major issue in the 23-year-old’s career thus far, as he has only played in all 82 games once. That came in the 2022-23 campaign for Williams, and the most games he has logged in a year besides that were the 71 contests that he played in as a rookie.
The Chicago Bulls need to decide what to do with Patrick Williams
Cowley also mentioned that he believes a change of scenery would be best for Williams to try and save his career. Chicago drafted him with the hope that he could be franchise piece in the long run, but he in turn has become a massive disappointment.
Williams’ price would not be super high based on his play this season and the Bulls are fully aware of that. This should not affect Chicago’s desire to trade Williams, as it seems like parting ways after this season would be the best for both parties.
Chicago needs to find a way to get Williams off of their books, but that could tricky with him just starting the five-year extension that he agreed to. He’ll be making $18 million per season for the next four years, so a pitch to other teams that the Bulls can use is the fact that Williams is a relatively inexpensive option compared to other young forwards in today’s game.
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