Mark Williams is coming off his best season as a professional in what was his first campaign with the Phoenix Suns, but that doesn't make his future any less murky than before the season started.
The Charlotte Hornets more than willing to secure a pair of first round picks for an often-injured big man who Phoenix could yet let walk in free agency.
Hornets' need for a big man shows how poorly they thought of Williams
Charlotte is hardly known for being one of the more difficult front offices to deal with throughout the league, and if anything they are one of the least talked about franchises in the entire league. They've always kind of been just there, but that has changed in the last couple of seasons.
Which is why their willingness to give up on Williams despite still needing a center for the future should concern the Suns. Rumors out of Charlotte persist that the organization will look to secure another big man through the NBA Draft, although they may have enquired about Domantas Sabonis as well.
Meanwhile in The Valley a qualifying offer has been tendered to Williams, but that does not mean the Suns will keep him if another franchise gives him a call.
All that allows them to do is make the decision on what to do with the player if he is given another offer, and the possibility of a sign-and-trade surely exists as well. Not where owner Mat Ishbia wanted to be one year removed from Kevin Durant leaving town.
At a time when he is trying to build a winner around Devin Booker, having so much uncertainty at the five and having the Hornets look like geniuses for getting out of the Williams business is not a good look.
They are now in position to use the draft or trade for a three-time All-Star in order to improve, while the Suns can either move on from Williams and hope that Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro are ready for a bigger role or stick with a player who has clear limitations.
Defensively he can be the anchor they need against certain opponents such as the Oklahoma City Thunder and even New York Knicks, but there is a clear way to play Williams off the court as well.
Go small and force him away from the paint, and watch the defense come crashing down all around him. How much is that worth to the Suns? Not enough for the Hornets to deal with the headache anyway.
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