How Much Suns Center Mark Williams Could Make in Free Agency

PHOENIX -- Arguably the Phoenix Suns' biggest decision this offseason is what they will do with starting center Mark Williams, who is set to hit restricted free agency.

After trading two first-round picks to land the big man last summer, the 24-year-old Williams played a career high in games after having a history of injury problems, but then was sidelined for 15-straight games with a foot injury in March and missed Phoenix's entire first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with the same injury.

Williams had a big impact for the Suns early in the year, but ended the season having one of the worst net ratings on the team (-2) in the 60 games he played, while backup center Oso Ighodaro had the best net rating (5.1) among Suns players averaging over 20 minutes per game and played all 82 games.

Phoenix also has No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach waiting to take on a bigger role.

With that said, Williams still has room for growth, and his value once again went down when he was injured late in the season.

Heading into free agency, Williams will have a pretty interesting market.

Here's what it's projected to look like:

How Much Mark Williams Could Command in Free Agency

ESPN's Bobby Marks included Williams among the league's top-20 free agents and wrote he'd offer him a deal for "Three years, $42 million. The contract would start at $13 million and increase to $15 million in the third season. The first year is $2 million less than the non-tax midlevel exception."

Marks also listed the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls as the best fits for Williams along with Phoenix.

He added on Williams:

"At $17 million below the luxury tax and $25 million below the first apron, the Suns are walking a financial tightrope with free agents Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Williams.

"Williams' durability issues plagued the first three seasons of his career, in which he sat out 116 games because of back, foot and thumb injuries.

"In his first season with Phoenix, Williams sat out 10 games because of a stress reaction in his left foot but still played a career-high 60 games. (Because of the foot injury, Williams did not appear in the Suns' first-round playoff loss.)

"Williams ranked in the top 20 in offensive rebounds per game and played a significant role in Phoenix's jump from 26th to sixth in second-chance points this season. The Suns were plus-8.5 points per 100 possessions when Williams was on the court with Gillespie, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Royce O'Neale."

The decision on Williams will be a polarizing one for the Suns, but it could very well come down to how much they value Maluach.

Phoenix should not be hesitant to try to find a sign-and-trade partner for Williams, especially if it will net them a rotational player, which would be the best possible scenario in this case.

The only routes that makes sense for bringing back Williams are if Phoenix can get him on a cheap, shorter contract and/or if the Suns are willing to move Ighodaro to be more of a power forward and Maluach to be the clear backup center.

We will see what the Suns will end up doing with Williams, as they are prioritizing continuity heading into the offseason.

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