Cold hard Mark Williams truth Suns fans must accept

By far the most surprising move the Phoenix Suns have made this offseason has been trading for Charlotte Hornets' big man Mark Williams. It raised even more eyebrows than the eventual departures of both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal - as although they are obviously much bigger names - that was to be expected.

Complicating matters further was the fact the deal came off the back of the franchise drafting a big man in Khaman Maluach in the lottery, while Williams' teammate in Charlotte Nick Richards was acquired by the Suns at the deadline. All of these moves, and Phoenix should have actually just kept Jusuf Nurkic after all.

Williams won't move the needle because he won't play enough.

As great as it looks on paper to get a hulking big man who actually has some athleticism in Williams, there are several warning signs as to why this isn't going to work. They all revolve around the health of the 23-year-old, although the fact he is so young is about the best thing to like about the deal. The two first round picks they gave up to get him? That one in 2029 could come back to haunt them.

Why the Suns would give away two valuable firsts for a guy who has never played more than 44 games in a season is tough to answer, and it is hard to see how that is going to get better anytime soon. The body of big men who battle in the paint typically only trends in one direction, and you need only look at Joel Embiid as further proof of that.

Perhaps the hope is that Maluach will be so good early on - and that Richards can be used in case of emergency if he is not traded - that there is much less expected of Williams. That might be true - and the Suns aren't going to win a championship next season - but he still feels like an individual they could end up stuck with.

Consider that despite appearing in the most games of his career last season - but one as he managed 43 his rookie campaign - Williams still failed a medical with the Los Angeles Lakers. You know they were desperate when they moved for former Suns' first overall pick Deandre Ayton this summer, but prior to that they thought Williams was their solution.

That they sent him back is almost unheard of in this league, and it makes you wonder why the front office in Phoenix was so up for this trade. Williams does look delighted to be in The Valley - and the roster certainly needs more than that - but the fans seriously have to recalibrate their expectations. They'll be lucky to get 50 games out of him next season.