The rumors were numerous.
The speculation vast.
Sitting at No. 4, the Bulls and executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas were considered the first real wildcard of an already unusual 2020 NBA Draft.
Could the new-look aggressive regime trade up, trade down, or ship the draft pick out all together for a proven All-Star? All of it was being thrown out there on the rumor mill.
As a source told the Sun-Times heading into the Wednesday, however, none of those rumors were being leaked out of the Advocate Center.
So, poker face and all, Karnisovas made his first draft pick with his new organization, staying put with the fourth overall pick and selecting defensive specialist Patrick Williams out of Florida State.
The 6-foot-8 forward is considered a “3-and-D’’ combo forward with a nasty mindset on the defensive end and an offensive game that is raw but on the come.
With veteran Otto Porter Jr. opting in for $28.4 million this season, he will be out the door by next summer and a vacancy will open up for that spot. With forward Chandler Hutchison spending most of his two-year career in the training room, Williams will have that opportunity to become a permanent fixture in the starting lineup if he stays on the trajectory the Bulls feel he’s already on.
