The Phoenix Suns may already be experiencing some regret from their Mark Williams trade, as they are not planning on extending the big man right now, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. Phoenix just traded for Williams at the 2025 NBA Draft, yet they evidently aren’t completely sold on him.
“Phoenix, for example, is not expected to come to terms with recently acquired center Mark Williams,” Fischer wrote. “Sources say that the Suns would prefer to bank another full season of data on Williams — hopefully marked by some sustained health after Williams was limited to 106 games in his first three NBA seasons — before committing to a new deal for the Duke product.”
Perhaps Phoenix could choose to simply let him walk if things don’t work out.
What will happen with Mark Williams and Suns?
Not extending Williams is certainly a bit odd. Phoenix gave up Vasa Micic, the No. 29 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (which turned into Liam McNeeley), and a 2029 first-rounder (the least favorable of CLE, UTA, and MIN).
That’s not a massive haul for Williams, but giving up multiple first-round selections (no matter how potentially late they are) is a big deal. They made an investment in him.
Yet from then to now, the Suns have loaded up at the center position a bit. They already had Nick Richards on board, and then they drafted Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 pick in the draft. Plus, they still have Oso Ighodaro, whom they drafted last summer.
Williams is a very talented player, but he has been completely unable to stay on the court up to this point in his career. He only played in 44 games last season, and it was the most games he’s played in a single year in his first three NBA seasons.
Not only that, but through his first three years in the league, he has yet to play more than 27 minutes per game. That’s not ideal for the Suns.
Obviously, as previously outlined, they have plenty of guys to pick up the slack, but trading two first-round picks for someone who doesn’t play that often is risky.
And now that they are reportedly not going to extend him right now, it looks even more shaky.
Phoenix will still give Williams a chance to prove his value this year, and when he’s on the court, he’s a very talented player. But not extending him definitely says something about his standing with the organization, even if it’s just from a health concerns perspective.