The Bulls have extended a qualifying offer to forward Patrick Williams, making him a restricted free agent, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Williams’ qualifying offer is worth $12.97MM. Chicago will now have the option of matching an offer sheet for the No. 4 pick of the 2020 draft.
Williams has not lived up to his draft billing but he’s still only 22 and could still become an impact player. This past season, he averaged 10 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 43 games, including 30 starts. He’s made 41% of his 3-point attempts during his career.
Williams’ season was cut short by left foot surgery in February after being diagnosed with a foot stress reaction. He played his last game on Jan. 25. He was limited to just 17 games in ’21/22 due to a wrist injury, though he appeared in all 82 games the following season.
A sign-and-trade scenario could develop, as several teams could be intrigued by Williams’ untapped potential. The Thunder are one team that’s been linked to Williams.