If Bulls forward Patrick Williams was looking for another life preserver to be thrown his way last month, he was in for a long wait.
Even executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, the man who bet on Williams by making him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft, wouldn’t make excuses for the 23-year-old during the Bulls’ exit interviews.
‘‘Patrick had a tough year,’’ Karnisovas said. ‘‘I think he struggled. I think he knows that; we know that. He had higher expectations for himself; we had higher expectations for him. I think he’ll learn. He is healthy. He has five months to work and get ready for the next season and capitalize and improve next year.’’
It was the right thing for Karnisovas to say publicly, but there’s even more going on with Williams privately.
According to a source, the Bulls basically told Williams things are now on him. They have catered to him by juggling at least three developmental coaches to work with him in the last few seasons. They’ve tried tough love by pulling him out of the starting lineup. They’ve handled him with kid gloves, at times, by giving him extended minutes he hasn’t earned. And they offered the ultimate security blanket by giving him a five-year, $90 million contract extension last summer.
Their reward? Career lows in scoring, rebounding, three-point percentage and field-goal percentage — the very definition of a player who needs a change of address to save his career.
But there’s a problem with that — actually, 90 million problems: The extension has gone from head-shaking, especially because the Bulls didn’t even allow the market to set a price for Williams when he was a restricted free agent, to a scarlet letter.
The Sun-Times reported in January that Karnisovas finally was willing to trade Williams if a deal presented itself, but none did. And none will, given the value of his contract.
That’s why the Bulls’ message to Williams is that it’s time for him to sink or swim.
What the Bulls have
Patrick Williams, Matas Buzelis, Talen Horton-Tucker, Julian Phillips, E.J. Liddell.
Who might be on the move
The Bulls would love to see Williams on the move, but that’s unlikely with his contract. Liddell and Horton-Tucker are free agents and likely will be elsewhere, and losing Horton-Tucker will be felt. Say what you want about his shoot-first mentality, but he was a solid force off the bench at times and always was looking to score.
And while Williams is a reason for disappointment, Buzelis has inspired great optimism, especially with the way he finished after the All-Star break. He averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and shot 36.1% from three-point range in the last two months of the season.
Buzelis has a chance to turn into a high-ceiling two-way player if he can add some muscle and physicality during the offseason.
The draft
This is about the time of the offseason in which Karnisovas should be on his knees in prayer.
The draft lottery will be held Monday, and the Bulls have a 1.7% chance to land the No. 1 pick and select generational talent Cooper Flagg. They have an 8% chance to land in the top four, possibly giving them a shot to pick Rutgers standout Ace Bailey.
Either player would add to a thin forward room, and Flagg would change the trajectory of the organization completely.
If the Bulls don’t move up and stay in the No. 12 spot, that probably will leave them with a player such as Collin Murray-Boyles or Liam McNeeley.
Free agency
Former Bulls forward Bobby Portis (Bucks) has an interesting player option to keep an eye on, as does John Collins (Jazz). Both would add to the frontcourt, bumping Williams to a full-time bench role, which he has earned.
The problem with the Bulls and free agency, however, is that because of the salary cap and the way their roster is constructed, they likely would have to move someone and get a player back in a sign-and-trade.
Wild-card prediction
If Karnisovas has a pulse and any sort of gambler left in him at this point, he can take a swing at putting together a package to try to pry Zion Williamson away from the Pelicans.