The Phoenix Suns traded for Mark Williams on draft night, sending the No. 29 pick and a 2029 first-round pick to the Hornets. Williams, whom Charlotte selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2022 draft, is entering the final season of his contract, as he'll make $6.3 million this season before hitting restricted free agency next summer.
Williams was eligible to sign an extension with the Suns after the trade, but one didn't happen before Monday's deadline. While that wasn't surprising, not locking him down and controlling his future makes Phoenix's decision to trade for him in the first place more confusing.
The biggest question with Williams is his availability. He's played 106 games since the Hornets drafted him, with his highest regular-season total being 44 games, which happened this past season. Before that, he played only 19 games during the 2023-24 season, and as a rookie, Williams played 43 games.
Extending a player with a lengthy injury history could've come back to bite the Suns, especially before he has even played in a single game. Williams didn't play during the preseason, but he's expected to play in Phoenix's season-opener against Sacramento on Oct. 22.
How the season ahead goes will determine what the Suns want to do with Williams next summer (or what they could try to do with him before the trade deadline). The team can match any offer sheet he gets as a restricted free agent, giving Phoenix the final say, but there's a real chance that the Suns may not want to keep him, not if he can't stay on the floor.
Suns didn't extend Mark Williams after trading for him
The Williams trade won't set Phoenix back significantly, even if he spends only a short time with the Suns. Other deals that will cloud Phoenix's future for years (like Bradley Beal), but if the Williams trade doesn't work out, he'll join a list of decisions the organization has made since Mat Ishbia became the majority owner that didn't pan out.
The Suns would be better off realizing they made the wrong decision in trading for Williams than coming to that realization after they extended him if they had. It's one thing to have an injury-prone player on the books for $6.3 million for a single season, than having him on the books with a multi-year extension.
There is hope that Williams will have his healthiest season yet, which would be great, but it also wouldn't be saying that much, given how his first three years in the league went. It would be a bonus knowing that the Suns got the best version of Williams, especially after the Lakers initially traded for him in February, only to rescind the deal due to a failed physical.
There is hope that Williams will have his healthiest season yet, which would be great, but it also wouldn't be saying that much, given how his first three years in the league went. It would be a bonus knowing that the Suns got the best version of Williams, especially after the Lakers initially traded for him in February, only to rescind the deal due to a failed physical.