New Bulls Addition Has Already Made $90 Million Veteran Expendable

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Noa Essengue stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 12th pick by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It has been a frustrating offseason for the Chicago Bulls, but what is new? The team has failed to pick a direction once again, stuck in mediocrity, thanks to the veterans on bad contracts whom they can not move, and refusing to accept reality and embrace the rebuild. Other than sending Lonzo Ball away in favor of Isaac Okoro, the Bulls have largely stood pat, including reaching a stalemate in extension negotiations with Josh Giddey.

One move the Bulls did make, however, was drafting Noa Essengue with the 12th-overall pick. The 18-year-old French power forward is one of the youngest players in the draft class and has a ton of upside.

Patrick Williams Is Now Expendable in Chicago

Considering that the Bulls also have Matas Buzelis, they potentially have their future forward pairing between the two talented youngsters. The Bulls would be wise to give Buzelis and Essengue as many minutes as they can handle, meaning that Patrick Williams may no longer be a part of the plans in Chicago.

This is a disappointing development for Williams, who has been underwhelming during his five-year Chicago stint. Despite showing little during his rookie contract, the Bulls still awarded him with a five-year, $90 million extension. This backfired immensely as Williams had the worst season of his career last season in the first year of that deal.

The former Florida State standout had 51.2% True Shooting, an embarrassingly low efficiency for a low-usage player like Williams. He hasn’t emerged as a defensive stopper, either, making him a questionable fit and an even more questionable contract.

Now that the Bulls have two prospects who play the same position as Williams, they should be more than willing to move on from the 23-year-old. Whether they will be able to get anything positive in return remains to be seen, but Williams’ era in Chicago is coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Related Posts

Brandin Podziemski problem the Warriors just can’t escape

As the Golden State Warriors largely have sat stagnant in free agency, their outsized dependency on their roster as it currently stands has grown every day. Wit

Warriors’ free agency decision already justified after Brook Lopez development

On Thursday Stephen Curry sounded like a man that was confident of playing with Al Horford next season, with the Golden State Warriors expected to sign the vete

Warrіorѕ Emerge Among Favorіteѕ to Sіgn Veteran Guard іn Offѕeaѕon

Warriors vs Trail Blazers: Hansen Yang overwhelms Warriors with size, playmaking as Armstrong and Richard are rare bright spots for Golden State

Bradley Beal could lead Warriors into unthinkable Jonathan Kuminga decision

While Jonathan Kuminga’s fit at the Golden State Warriors is questionable at best, it’s clear that the front office still holds the young forward in high regard

Breaking: LeBron James’ Future With Steph Curry Heats Up After New Comments

LeBron James, four‑time champion and NBA’s all‑time leading scorer, wrapped up the 2024‑25 season with averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, yet…

Breaking News: Lakers made two huge moves without telling LeBron James

LeBron James was left out of the loop on two major Los Angeles Lakers decisions in 2025: trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic and the $10 billion…