The Phoenix Suns are entering an important offseason.
After a better-than-expected season, Phoenix must improve its roster to keep pace with the rest of the Western Conference.
The Suns have three of their key rotation players entering free agency: Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams.
At $17 million below the luxury tax and $25 million below the first apron, Phoenix may not be able to retain all three and must choose wisely who to retain.
While Mat Ishbia hasn’t been afraid to spend, it may be tough to bring back all three without severe cap penalties.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, Williams could be the odd man out.
What Would the Phoenix Suns Have to Pay Mark Williams?
While Goodwin and Gillespie are projected to receive modest contracts, Williams’ price might be steeper.
Williams will hit restricted free agency this offseason after Phoenix traded two first-round selections for the oft-injured center.
According to Marks, Williams will receive around a three-year, $42 million deal.
“The contract would start at $13 million and increase to $15 million in the third season,” Marks wrote. “The first year is $2 million less than the non-tax midlevel exception.”
That might be too pricey for a Phoenix team that will furiously attempt to retain both Gillespie and Goodwin.
The 24-year-old Williams played a career-high 60 games in 2025-26 after a history of injury problems. However, he missed 15 consecutive games with a foot injury in March that carried over into the postseason.
In 23.6 minutes per game with the Suns, Williams averaged 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, slowing down towards the end of the season.
Williams was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Duke. In three years with the Charlotte Hornets, he played just 106 games.
So, with his long injury history, is retaining Williams worth it?
Is It Worth Retaining Williams?
The short answer is no.
At that price, the Suns may have to choose between Gillespie and Goodwin, a choice they’d rather not make.
While Williams is a restricted free agent, and therefore the Suns would need to match another team’s offer to keep him, it’s not worth it.
Williams’ injury history is just too ugly to justify signing him to anything close to long-term.
With backup centers Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach outperforming Williams down the stretch, the Suns may want to build on what they saw from the pair last season.
Ighodaro had the best net rating (5.1) among Suns players averaging over 20 minutes per game, and played all 82 games.
Meanwhile, Maluach is ready to take on a bigger role with Phoenix after they selected him with the No. 10 pick in last year’s draft.
Maluach is known as an elite rim protector, but teams knew he would be a project to be a star.
The Williams decision may hinge on how ready they feel Maluach is. If the Suns feel that Maluach can play significant minutes next year, Williams will likely be on his way out.
As the Suns prioritize roster continuity, fans will have to wait and see if this is indeed the case.
Suns Free Agency Could Take Twist After Mark Williams Contract Projection