The Phoenix Suns were busy throughout the weekend ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, re-signing both free agent guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
Retaining both the breakout star in Gillespie and the veteran grit of Goodwin — who won Dan Majerle Hustle Award honors this past season — further hints that Phoenix will opt not to retain restricted free agent center Mark Williams.
Following those aforementioned signings, it appears increasingly unlikely that Williams will also be part of the organization’s future plans purely based on the team’s financial constraints. And while the Suns certainly still need guard depth despite keeping Gillespie and Goodwin around, a recent NBA mock draft ahead of Tuesday’s festivities has Phoenix targeting a new big.
Latest Yahoo! Sports NBA mock draft has Suns taking a center
In the latest iteration of Kevin O’Connor’s NBA mock draft from Yahoo! Sports, the Suns go a different direction from other mocks where they target guards like Jaden Bradley of the University of Arizona or Jeremy Fears Jr. from owner Mat Ishbia’s alma mater Michigan State.
O’Connor has the Suns taking Tennessee big man Felix Okpara with the No. 47 overall pick in Round 2.
“Okpara knows his role as a player who protects the paint, runs the floor, finishes lobs, sets screens, and doesn't try to be more than that,” O’Connor writes. “He spent two years at Ohio State, transferred to Tennessee, and helped take the Vols to the Elite Eight as their defensive backbone. He had four blocks in the Round of 32 with clutch defense down the stretch, then a 12 and 10 double-double in the Sweet 16.”
Across four college seasons (two with Ohio State and two with the Vols), Okpara averaged 1.7 blocks per contest. He averaged an impressive 2.4 swats per game as a sophomore with the Buckeyes.
On that basis, Okpara is akin to current Suns big man and last year’s No. 10 overall draft pick Khaman Maluach. If the Suns indeed move on from Williams this summer, it could be a clear signal that they plan to embrace their “center of the future.”
Adding Okpara in the draft would be interesting, given that Maluach already provides the rim protection NBA teams are seeking from modern bigs. However, Okpara would give Phoenix yet more shot-blocking prowess that other Suns big Oso Ighodaro doesn’t really hang his hat on.
Okpara wasn’t the type of big man who can spread the floor during his college career, though, attempting 23 total 3-pointers (making six — 26.1%). The lack of outside shooting makes him pretty one-dimensional at this stage of his development.
It definitely seems more likely that the Suns will target a guard with playmaking skills with their second-round pick. But if they do opt for a rim-protecting big like Okpara, they can give themselves the flexibility of a three-center rotation that could provide them 48 minutes of stout interior defense on a nightly basis.
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