Remaining Contract Value: 4 years, $72.0 million
Average Percentage of Salary Cap: 10.14
Additional notes: 2028-29 player option (age-27 season)
Patrick Williams is not the biggest financial roadblock in terms of percentage of the salary cap. But he’s a bonafide financial liability when considering the length of his deal and the value he provides on the court.
Select people continue to hold out hope he can emerge as someone who provides dribs and drabs of value at both ends. It isn’t hard to see the vision on defense, but offense is a different story. His career 39.2 percent clip from deep is nice, although it’s built on negligible volume (3.1 attempts per game), and he’s never come close to qualifying as a positive-impact contributor on the more glamorous end.
Just look at where he’s ranked in BBall-Index’s O-LEBRON since entering the NBA:
At only 23, Williams remains capable of getting better. It is nevertheless baffling that the Chicago Bulls gave him a five-year contract and a player option while (likely) negotiating against themselves in 2024 restricted free agency.