When we think about what the starting five will be for the Phoenix Suns on the opening night of the 2026-27 season, Mark Williams opens at center, right? It feels likely, but the NBA is full of surprises. Khaman Maluach could potentially sneak his way into that conversation.
Question marks already appearing on long-term fit of Williams
The short answer to that question is yes, although the 24-year-old's position in The Valley, despite only signing an extension this offseason, has been threatened by Khaman Maluach. His Summer League performances have not gone unnoticed by Gerald Bourguet, who joined Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron Podcast with information that shows how quickly this situation could change.
"I think Mark Williams, unless Khaman has an eye-opening training camp, kind of like he had an eye-opening Summer League, I think Mark Williams is still the starter on opening night... (but) there is some internal optimism that Khaman Maluach could surpass him as a starter by the end of next season."
So although the Suns brought the 24-year-old Williams back to try and help them make the playoffs once again, it may be in their best interests long-term to part ways with the big man.
The Suns are already in the first apron, so moving Williams and his three-year, $38 million deal in favor of a player in Maluach on a rookie contract would help their cap situation. It is also worth noting that despite Williams having a career year last time out, he was still injured when it really mattered most in the postseason.
As Bourguet also pointed out, the franchise now has three bigs (including Oso Ighodaro) who need consistent minutes to develop. Should Maluach burst onto the scene like he did at Summer League, Williams will rightly be on the chopping block because it makes sense for the team.
Stability needs to be sacrificed with Williams to ensure continued growth
The Suns have preached continuity for the last 12 months, but then followed that up with the baffling decision to trade for Miles Bridges. An upgrade over Royce O'Neale, but something has to give with that starting five, and Williams might just be the answer.
If Williams can remain healthy, then Bourguet put it best when he said that "a lot of these contracts (are) not positive value in terms of going out and getting you a piece, but something that you could probably move as long as he (Williams) doesn't have a very injury-riddled season coming up. Which is definitely on the table."
Training camp will tell us a lot about the Suns' long-term direction at the five, with Williams already under pressure to hold onto his starting berth. He's the most experienced option, but if the other names on this roster are impressing, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Suns flip the script and look to move off of Mark Williams.
Add us as a preferred source on Google