Suns are about to make a grave Mark Williams mistake

The Phoenix Suns made a pair of risky moves to improve their center position this summer - which has given them such trouble since Deandre Ayton left - by drafting Khaman Maluach and trading for Mark Williams. At only 18-years-old and essentially no offensive game if Summer League is any indication, it is going to take Maluach years to begin to reach his full potential.

Williams on the other hand is exactly what the Suns need - a physical inside presence who can be a plus defender on a team that desperately needs it - he's just been unable to stay healthy. Putting all of that information is exactly why the franchise should be holding onto Nick Richards for now, although that may not be the case.

Williams extension eligibility a problem for Phoenix moving forward.

The 23-year-old is now eligible for a contract extension on his rookie deal, and owner Mat Ishbia is all of a sudden in the hot seat on making a decision about that. The Suns have done the best job they possibly could this offseason in moving on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to get under both aprons, but Ishbia has been known to throw money at problems in the past.

He's apparently learnt his lesson, but the Williams extension will be a strong indicator on whether or not that's actually the case. In theory Phoenix has the upper-hand in negotiations, because of the injury history of Williams. Going back to his time with the Charlotte Hornets, and the Los Angeles Lakers literally vetoed a trade for him at the deadline after a failed medical.

There's two ways to look at this. On the one hand he's never played more than 43 games in a season, and that was in 2024-25. Betting big money on that kind of availability would appear foolish for a franchise that is trying to build around Devin Booker again in the long-term. From the perspective of the player though - if the Lakers felt he was good enough to trade for - then he must have something.

It should be noted that the Lakers - much like the Suns - have had their own big woes, which is why Ayton of all players was signed by them this offseason. But with the LeBron James era coming to an end and Luka Doncic looking in shape and ready to carry the franchise, the fact they wanted Williams along for the ride knowing both his injury record and contract status is interesting.

Then there is the fact that Williams played well in Charlotte after that failed deal - averaging a double-double for the remainder of the season - which is likely what prompted the Suns to go after him in the first place. At his best he's a game-changer on the defensive end, and he would have help in the form of Ryan Dunn and Dillon Brooks.

Also worth noting is the fact that when he did play last season, Williams played over 26 minutes per game and that number again trended towards 30 minutes after the Lakers' interest. The Toronto Raptors of all teams didn't help matters either, and this feels like yet another Ishbia overpay waiting to happen. If it does and Williams is a crock, the Suns are again doomed.