Phoenix Suns Offseason Plans Part 3: Free Agency
By Adam Maynes
Alan Williams
During the season it was reported that in 2015 Alan Williams essentially failed his first tryout with the Suns. It went so poorly that the tryout was cut short due to his poor conditioning and in an instant his NBA career nearly ended. Fortunately Big Sauce was given a second shot, impressed Suns staff, and was signed.
Last season, beginning as a near nobody on the end of the bench, Williams was eventually given extended opportunities at times, especially during the second half of the season when Tyson Chandler was sat for tanking purposes, and boy did he impress.
Recording 15 double-doubles off the bench (leading the team in that stat), Williams’ stamina was no longer an issue as it was matched equally by his energy. With a highly infectious work ethic on and off the court, his scoring and rebounding per-36 far exceeded Alex Len’s with 17.6 points and 14.8 rebounds. And also only 24-years-old, Williams still has both room to grow, and his entire prime sitting before him.
It is unknown yet whether he will seriously test free agency or if his only desire is to remain in Phoenix. Should the Suns see him as the backup now with the opportunity to work to develop into a starting center in the next few years, then he may be retained with a salary in the $5-7M range, low enough to not hurt the team’s opportunity at making future moves, but high enough to potentially ward off other suitors about the league.
If he is offered less ($2-4M) with the expectation that he will never grow out of the backup role, then he may be confronted with other offers, potentially with more playing time attached, making his decision more difficult.