Entering the 2026 offseason, the two major Phoenix Suns players set to become free agents are 24-year-old center Mark Williams and soon-to-be 27-year-old Collin Gillespie.
And although Gillespie is both older and has fewer years of NBA experience under his belt, it’s becoming more clear that he should be GM Brian Gregory’s top priority this summer.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie believes Gillespie should be Suns’ top offseason priority
Speaking on the “Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecenie,” NBA writer Sam Vecenie of The Athletic made that argument when discussing the Suns’ offseason outlook.
“I think I would argue that Collin Gillespie might be my priority one in terms of retaining,” he said. “I don’t know that he is a starting point guard on a team that is in the Western Conference Finals, right? But he’s definitely a good player, and I definitely want to retain him if I’m the Phoenix Suns.”
Fortunately for Phoenix, the Suns hold Gillespie’s early Bird rights, which should make any path toward keeping him aboard easier than it might have been otherwise.
Speaking on the pod, Bryce Simon agreed with Vecenie’s outlook with the stipulation that Gillespie is in “that third guard role.” Essentially, Gillespie could come off the bench in the sixth man slot he held early in the 2025-26 season before a rash of injuries forced him into a starting slot almost by default (his consistency and solid play didn’t hurt).
“He’s just about as good as it gets in terms of players that are in that role in the league,” Simon said.
In a breakout year, Gillespie had by far his best season in the pros with the Suns by averaging 12.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. He played a career high 28.5 minutes per game across 80 games played (58 starts) and cashed in on 40.1% of his 3-point looks.
There’s certainly a chance that Gillespie returns in a starting role, but his impact as a sixth man off the bench arguably has even more value in terms of stabilizing the second unit — especially if the Suns can fill a big need by finding another point guard to slot alongside Devin Booker in the backcourt.
That lack of depth in terms of traditional point guards is yet another reason why Gregory and Co. should prioritize retaining Gillespie. Unlike the case with Williams, who spent the year ahead of youngsters Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach on the depth chart, Gillespie was the primary floor general for Phoenix. The Suns again resorted to playing Booker out of position at point guard with the traditional mixed results — he averaged more than three turnovers per game for the first time in the past five seasons.
Given the development the Suns have already seen from Gillespie, and the health questions that continue to surround Williams, it’s not exactly a surprise why pundits around the league are now making the same case that Gillespie should be atop Phoenix's offseason big board.
One of the league's most underrated players is now getting the attention he deserves.
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