Chicago Bulls connected to incredibly risky move for All-NBA defender

The Chicago Bulls are expected to be one of the most active teams in the NBA this offseason, as they own a ton of cap space and can afford to spend in free agency.

The Bulls need a whole lot of help up and down their roster, but new top executive Bryson Graham has made it clear that he would like to improve the defense. That should start on the interior, where Chicago is very thin.

There will be some very intriguing big men available on the open market once free agency begins in July. Jaren Duren has been linked to the Bulls frequently, but he actually isn’t the greatest defender and might also land north of $40 million annually. Mitchell Robinson is great, but word on the street is he’ll be returning to the New York Knicks.

So who else can Chicago pursue to bolster its frontcourt?

Well, Jack Simone of Pippen Ain’t Easy has floated a compelling target, and it’s someone with whom new head coach Tiago Splitter is very familiar: Robert Williams III.

Chicago Bulls urged to pursue Robert Williams III

Williams would be an incredibly risky pickup given his extensive injury history. Since entering the league with the Boston Celtics in 2018-19, Williams has never played a full season. In fact, he topped out at 61 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

This past season, the 28-year-old appeared in 59 contests with the Portland Trail Blazers, but Simone feels that Williams could still be of significant help to the Bulls.

“For the Bulls, they would be bringing in a guy with a ton of defensive upside who is familiar with their new head coach. A guy who plays a position that they desperately need to improve,” Simone wrote. “And if the Bulls take North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, they could roll out an elite defensive frontcourt of him and Williams.”

Williams made Second-Team All-Defense back in 2021-22 and even finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting that season. When healthy, he is a major difference-maker on that end of the floor. But that’s just the thing: will he actually be able to avoid injury?

The Celtics traded Williams to the Blazers during the summer of 2023. He proceeded to play in a grand total of 85 games across three years in Portland, which is beyond concerning. He managed to average 6.7 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks over 17.1 minutes per game this past season, but can the Bulls actually count on him not missing most of the campaign?

Williams would be an interesting addition for sure, but Chicago simply would not be able to bank on a clean bill of health from him.

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