Report: Patrick Williams set to re-sign with Bulls on a 5-year, $90-million deal

(670 The Score) A Bulls team amid a transitional phase has retained one of its core young players.

Forward Patrick Williams is set to sign a five-year, $90-million deal with the Bulls, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported late Saturday night. Williams had been set to enter restricted free agency Sunday evening, but the Bulls got a key piece of business done without any trouble.

Williams, 22, averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 27.3 minutes across 43 games last season. He started 30 times for the Bulls and also shot 39.9% from 3-point range in a season of his that was cut short due to left foot surgery. The Bulls’ hope is that Williams will be ready for the start of training camp, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said Wednesday, but that didn't sound like a certainty.

The Bulls selected Williams with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has disappointed relative to his lofty draft slot, as his passivity on the offensive end and poor rebounding have led to changing roles and inconsistencies. But Williams has also shown flashes of tantalizing two-way talent, and he’s a good 3-point shooter and a solid defender, which is why the Bulls viewed it as important to bring him back.

Williams will now fit into a young Bulls core that has added 21-year-old point guard Josh Giddey and 19-year-old forward Matas Buzelis in recent days to a mix that also includes guard Coby White and guard Ayo Dosunmu. After trading veteran guard Alex Caruso to acquire Giddey, the expectation is the Bulls will continue to be busy in the coming days. Guard Zach LaVine remains on the trade market, and veteran forward DeMar DeRozan is set to hit unrestricted free agency Sunday evening.

Earlier Saturday, Bulls veteran forward Torrey Craig exercised his $2.8-million player option to remain with Chicago for the 2024-’25 season.