3 Massive Training Camp Battles to Watch for Suns

The Suns have some good competition to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) against the Orlando Magic at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX -- Training camp is set to be a little bit more competitive for the Phoenix Suns after Mark Williams suffered a torn labrum that could keep him out around five months.

After the rotation seemed to be pretty much set, the Suns now have a couple battles to watch following Williams' injury that will play out over the course of the next month before the season starts.

Here are three training camp battles to monitor ahead of the Oct. 21 season opener:

1. Final Roster Spot

Phoenix signed Duop Reath in the wake of Williams' injury, and he will now compete to make the final roster as the team's third center with the Suns taking 16 players into camp.

Jamaree Bouyea and Haywood Highsmith are both on non-guaranteed contracts through January, so they seem like the most likely candidates to compete with Reath for the 15th spot unless Phoenix has a trade brewing up its sleeve.

The Suns have until Oct. 19 at 2:00 p.m MST to trim their roster down to 15 players.

Click here to read more about this competition.

2. Starting Center

The Suns have a void to fill at starting center with Williams out, and Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach are the two candidates for the job.

Ighodaro likely has a leg up as of now given the fact he has more experience that Maluach, which includes 24 regular-season and four playoff starts last season, and coach Jordan Ott has shown a lot of trust in him.

With that said, Maluach is oozing with potential and coming off an impressive Summer League, so he could make a strong case for himself if he shows his development is coming along well.

This could be a battle that plays into the season as well if Maluach takes some time to prove he is ready for the starting job.

3. Backup Wing Rotation

One unrelated competition to Williams' injury is who earns playing time out of Phoenix's surplus of backup wings.

As of now, it appears the top wings off the bench will be Jordan Goodwin, Luke Kennard and Rasheer Fleming, but Haywood Highsmith, Ryan Dunn and Koa Peat could all end up making their cases for playing time, especially with the defensive upside of all three players.

Ott will have a decision to make on how he divides up minutes for this group, and if it's a tight competition, the Suns could end up staggering minutes based on who is performing best or is the top matchup on given nights.

Training camp begins Tuesday following media day on Monday, and Phoenix's first preseason game is on Oct. 5 on the road against the Detroit Pistons.