Even before news broke that Mark Williams underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, the Phoenix Suns needed to think more about planning for the future. That’s even more apparent now, as both Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach stand to see increased rotational roles with the starting big man sidelined.
Suns forced to look at long view with Williams’ latest injury
Despite a history of health woes, including throughout his debut season in Phoenix, where Williams still played a career-high 60 games, the Suns opted to retain the restricted free agent on a team-friendly three-year deal. There were plenty of reasons why the Phoenix front office should have considered moving on from Williams to embrace Ighodaro and Maluach at the center spot. Now, they’re forced to do so out of necessity rather than choice.
It’ll be a silver lining in the eyes of many Suns fans who wanted to see more of Maluach as a rookie. A No. 10 overall draft pick and former teammate of Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg, Maluach has already shown signs of being an extremely solid NBA player.
On March 6, in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Maluach played what was then a career-high 20 minutes. In those 20 minutes of action, the big man from South Sudan blocked five shots, showing early glimpses of his potential.
Even though Maluach is a raw talent on offense, his defensive acumen and shot-blocking prowess put him among the game’s elite entering his age-20 season. He should be viewed as a long-term piece in The Valley, as centers who can defend the rim are in high demand around the league.
While more minutes for Maluach can be seen as a positive, the Suns have numerous questions to answer as it pertains to the long-term outlook of the franchise.
Suns' all-in approach isn't changing, even with Williams out
Of course, even with Williams healthy, it’s worth questioning what the Suns’ outlook is for the future (and present). With Williams on board, the Suns snuck into the 2026 playoffs as a Play-In team, where they were ultimately swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. They defied all expectations to become a winning team with new pieces in place — including culture-changer Dillon Brooks. However, reaching the Play-In Tournament isn’t exactly where organizations hope to be.
The Suns are currently not championship contenders. A number of Western Conference rivals are positioned to finish above them in the standings, and that doesn’t even include the contenders in the Eastern Conference with a reigning champion New York Knicks squad that features former Suns Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet.
The Suns surrendered yet another unprotected first-round draft pick earlier this summer in the Miles Bridges trade. That’s the type of deal that suggests Phoenix is taking a win-now approach during the tail end of the Devin Booker era. Bridges alone won't thrust this team into title contention. And now, with Williams sidelined, the Suns will be shorthanded to begin the new season.
With limited draft capital and plenty of investment in veteran players, the Suns may soon be forced to pivot to salvage what appears to be a bleak future.
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