Ranking the 8 best players who didn't sign rookie extensions 

4. Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, a known Patrick Williams fan, the Chicago Bulls’ power forward was asking for “big, big numbers for his next contract… like, starts with a two and isn’t $20M.” Whether Williams was asking for $20 million per season or $200 million over the life of his deal, that would be a lot of money to throw at a player who has averaged between 9.0 and 10.2 points per game throughout his three-season career. 

However, Williams has quietly become a very intriguing young player, and the best place to start is his age. Williams was the second-youngest player in the 2020 draft and only turned 22 two months ago. Age isn’t everything, but it plays a massive role in draft models and future projections for a reason. The younger you are, the more runway you have to develop before you start declining.

While age played a big role in Williams going fourth in the 2020 draft, it also plays a big role in his ranking. He’s been a solid starting caliber power forward at an age when the vast majority of basketball players are toiling away in college. Williams' skill set is incredibly difficult to find and is thus extremely valuable on the open market. 

Power forwards who can guard the perimeter and provide weakside rim protection are the most valuable defensive chess pieces in the modern game. Williams hasn’t fully actualized his potential on that end, but the flashes he has shown suggest he could become an All-Defensive team mainstay at his peak. 

Then there is his shooting. Williams is a career 41.4-percent 3-point shooter and set a career-high in attempts per game last season at 3.4. The Bulls had the second-lowest 3-point attempt rate in the league last season at 33.3 percent which undoubtedly hurt his overall volume, but he’s clearly a dangerous 3-point shooter and has hit an ungodly 45.2 percent of corner 3s in his career. 

While Williams’ passing and ability to create his own shot is poor, multi-positional defenders in the most important defensive role who can also hit 40 percent of their 3s are some of the most sought-after players in the world. Williams betting on his potential due to his age and positional scarcity is the right call. He might not be worth $200 million now, but there’s a chance he makes the All-Defensive team while averaging 15 plus points per game on efficient shooting and lands that type of deal in restricted free agency. Even if he doesn’t vault into that category of player this season, time is still on his side, and he’s already a valuable player.