Khaman Maluach enters the 2026-27 season with the Phoenix Suns as their backup center. The franchise has cleverly positioned the roster to clear the decks and make him the starter immediately if he proves he is up to the task. Just look at Mark Williams' extension.
Suns signed Mark Williams to small extension to move if needed
Mark Williams is returning on a three-year, $38 million extension, but that is the kind of contract that can be quickly moved if required. Still only 24 years old, as long as he remains healthy and the center market stays as shallow as it is, another team will talk itself into his services if he becomes available.
The Suns have put Maluach in the perfect spot here because at 19 years old, nobody expects him to become a meaningful contributor on a playoff team for years to come.
Playing with less pressure could bring the best out of him sooner than anticipated. If that happens, Williams can be jettisoned, and Maluach installed as the top option. Thankfully, they won't be asking Nick Richards to return as his backup, but Oso Ighodaro is part of the master plan here as well.
He has proven he can be a backup five who can bring some explosiveness off the bench, and doing so behind Maluach would be an intriguing combination for opponents to face. He can also play alongside the South Sudanese big man as an athletic four and is the ideal complement no matter what way he is used.
Ighodaro also has the added bonus of being able to slide into the starting five himself if Maluach is going through a rough patch and the Suns have moved on from Williams.
One more stint in G League could be catalyst to breakout season
Prior to all of this happening, however, exciting as it is to think about, Maluach is likely going to see the G League one more time. It would do his confidence the world of good to beat up bigs down there in the same way he did out in Las Vegas.
It was also evident from his Summer League play just how much more comfortable he looks on the court and in the system the Suns have developed. For most of his rookie season, he was using his massive frame to junk it up out there, but he looked lost.
He also had zero offensive game, with some of his floaters looking like when you play 2K and don't time the release properly. The ugly side to Maluach's game won't go away overnight, but as soon as it clicks, the franchise has clearly already built a system to promote him to the starting spot immediately.
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