The Phoenix Suns face a major question on what exactly to do with center Mark Williams this offseason, and there is no clear answer.
Which is precisely why the franchise that drafted him in the first place in the Charlotte Hornets were so eager to get rid of him last summer in the first place.
Suns lose no matter what they do with Williams and Hornets knew this
Phoenix now finds themselves on the hook to extend Williams, or else sign-and-trade the 24-year-old despite the market for injury-prone big men being tepid. Factor in the lack of cap space most organizations have, and that is far from a guarantee either.
The 24-year-old is now also getting in the way of rookie Khaman Maluach's continued rise, while Oso Ighodaro proved himself a capable backup during their surprise run to the postseason.
Rather than have to try and figure this out themselves, the Hornets pocketed a pair of first round picks and said goodbye to Williams. A decision that looks vindicated by how well they finished the regular season. They will be back next year as one of the must watch League Pass outfits.
There is another path that the Suns can take, and it is to let Williams walk for nothing. This would free up a roster spot and some cap space, but giving up on a player after one year and getting nothing in return is not smart business. Certainly not the way General Manager Brian Gregory has operated to this point.
The franchise have continued to try and wriggle out of the binds they put themselves in with the Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and even Jusuf Nurkic trades, but there is no escaping the lack of flexibility they having for the rest of the decade.
Signing Williams should be a no-brainer then, but they risk being stuck with a guy who can never get on the court when it really matters.
Williams would have been perfect in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he does get exposed against smaller opponents who drag him away from the basket. Ensuring Maluach didn't have to come in as a raw prospect and contribute right away was the correct call, but was choosing Williams to be the starter really the right call?
We're going to find out in the coming weeks what way Phoenix is leaning on this one, but no matter what they will end up either stuck with a player they don't totally need or else without anything at all.
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