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Scott Polacek is a featured Columnist for the Chicago Bulls.
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The Bulls will not have the extra spending flexibility that comes with the disabled player exception.
The NBA denied Chicago's request for an exception for Patrick Williams, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. In October, the Bulls announced that Williams would be out for four to six months due to surgery.
The NBA explains on its website that the disabled player exception is granted if the injury or illness makes it more likely that the player won't be able to play in the following June.
The Bulls won't be able to spend more money for a replacement player because of this ruling.
It was determined that Williams may return sooner than the end of the season, which would be a partial approach from Chicago's perspective. He would be an additional defensive player on the wing who can work his way back into the rotation if he were to be a role player on the Eastern Conference contender.
He averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebound and 0.9 steals as a second baseman for the Bulls last season, after they selected him with the 4th overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.
The Florida State product averaged 6.6 points a night through the first five games of the season. He connected on 50 percent of his triples, which was an encouraging development after he made 39.1 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman.
The Bulls are the second seed in the Eastern Conference and have been one of the NBA's biggest storylines.
While Williams won't be a go-to option with players like LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, his return would bring additional depth as Chicago looks to parlay its promising start into a potential title run come playoff time.
