The Chicago Bulls have a new front office now. New coach Tiago Splitter. New executive Bryson Graham. A fresh start built around 2026 No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson. But before any of that, the old regime had a problem. They couldn’t let go of an idea that was never real.
According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, a former Bulls staffer said the previous front office spent years insisting Patrick Williams could become Kawhi Leonard. Long after Williams had shown he wasn’t that guy. Three years. Maybe four. The comparison just wouldn’t die.
“It took probably three or four years for them to come off of the, ‘Well, he could be Kawhi,’ statements,” the ex-staffer told ESPN. “Those things continued to linger even after Patrick pretty demonstrably proved that he was not going to be Kawhi. That was an unfortunate way to kick things off.”
Kawhi Leonard is a two-time NBA champion. Two-time Finals MVP. Two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Six All-NBA nods. One of the great playoff performers of his era. Patrick Williams, the No. 4 pick in 2020, just finished his sixth NBA season with career lows: 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists. He shot 37% from the field. He started six of 72 games.
The gap between those two players is a canyon. But the old Bulls front office kept staring at the mirage.
Williams is still on the books, by the way. He’s entering year three of a five-year, $90 million deal. About $18 million a year. Player option for 2028-29. So Chicago is stuck with the contract even if the fantasy has finally died.
The same ESPN report dropped another eyebrow-raiser: the previous regime reportedly pointed to the Detroit Pistons as a reason not to tank. Except Detroit has made the playoffs the last two seasons and went 60-22 as the No. 1 seed in the East in 2025-26. So that argument aged about as well as the Kawhi comparison.
Look, every front office misses on evaluations. It happens. But clinging to a comp that never fit for multiple years, while ignoring the reality in front of you? That’s not a miss. That’s a pattern. The Bulls are hoping Splitter, Graham and their new young core can break it.
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