Bulls to extend qualifying offer to Patrick Williams

THE Bulls have extended a qualifying offer to transfer Patrick Williamsmaking him a restricted free agent, tweets Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Williams’ qualifying offer is worth $12.97 million. Chicago will now have the opportunity to match an offer sheet for the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft.

Williams hasn’t lived up to his billing, but he’s still only 22 and could still become an impact player. Last season, he averaged 10 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 43 games, including 30 starts. He made 41% of his 3-point attempts during his career.

Williams’ season was cut short by surgery on his left foot in February after he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his foot. He played his last match on January 25. He was limited to just 17 games in 21/22 due to a wrist injury, although 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 a team linked to Williams.