The Phoenix Suns have a dilemma on their hands with what to do with center Mark Williams this offseason, but a rumored sign-and-trade situation will not work for anybody involved.
Interest around the NBA for Williams will be hard to come by
The Suns gave up a pair of first round picks for the 24-year-old last summer, and it is right to say that he had the most successful season of his career to date in The Valley. He remained relatively healthy and was a key contributor at times, before issues reared their head in the postseason.
Williams failing to take to the court at all versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite having the kind of size that would have given them trouble.
Which is where the problem now exists for the Suns.
They are rumored to be prioritizing both Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin this offseason, and bringing both back makes sense.
So too does a sign-and-trade with Williams, until you realize that getting any sort of fair value back for his services is not going to happen. How does free agent big man Nikola Vucevic or a player of similar age or talent range sound to you?
The same Vucevic for example who couldn't be played as the Boston Celtics squandered a 3-1 series lead and Joel Embiid had his crowning moment as a Philadelphia 76er.
Exactly, which is why this sign-and-trade talk is going to go nowhere. What team that is either rebuilding or trying to push towards contention is going to take an expensive flyer on a player who can never stay consistently healthy? Even if the extension he signs is highly likely to have conditions that have to be met before he gets the full amount promised to him.
There's a reason the Charlotte Hornets were more than happy to get off making this decision, and their own roster has taken shape nicely since trading away Williams.
At a time when front offices are as reluctant as ever to make splashy moves and figure it out later as a result of what is essentially a hard cap, finding a suitor for Williams and receiving fair value back is difficult to find.
Achieving this would be General Manager Brian Gregory's greatest feat yet, although the alternate scenario of letting the big man walk for nothing is hardly great either.
Then there is Khaman Maluach, as raw as they come but who at least was trusted by head coach Jordan Ott to be on the court in the playoffs. There is no easy solution to all of this, but a sign-and-trade isn't the way out either.
There needs to be actual interest in Williams' services for that to happen, and we only know of one.
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