Suns Finally Make Mark Williams Decision

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are bringing back starting center Mark Williams after reportedly agreeing to a deal with him before he even hit restricted free agency.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday on X:

"Restricted free agent Mark Williams intends to sign a three-year, $38 million contract to return to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. The deal is fully guaranteed for Williams, who averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block in 23.6 minutes per game as the Suns starting center."

Restricted free agent Mark Williams intends to sign a three-year, $38 million contract to return to the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. The deal is fully guaranteed for Williams, who averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block in 23.6 minutes per game as the Suns starting center. pic.twitter.com/3hpQ9KlZNi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026

If the Suns guarantee Haywood Highsmith's contract for next season and pick up Jamaree Bouyea's team option, this move would round out all 15 standard roster spots after Phoenix agreed to new contracts with upcoming free agents Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin and drafted Koa Peat in the first round.

Phoenix will be over the first apron with this signing and $5.1 million under the second apron, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith.

If Mark Williams' new contract with the Phoenix Suns follows the standard 8% raise structure, it will look like this:

26-27: $11.7M
27-28: $12.7M
28-29: $13.6M

Phoenix projects to be $5.1M under their second-apron hard cap. The Suns currently have all 15 standard roster spots…
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 26, 2026

Although it had been expected over the past week, this move comes as a bit of a surprise, especially for three years, given that the Suns drafted Khaman Maluach 10th overall last summer and Oso Ighodaro proved to be a very serviceable backup and at times played over Williams during the final minutes of games.

Williams also has an extensive injury history, and despite playing a career-high 60 games in his first year in Phoenix, his injury problems popped up late in the season when a foot injury sidelined him for almost all of March and the Suns' entire first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

There does not appear to be any injury clauses in Williams' new contract with it being fully guaranteed.

The Suns originally acquired Williams on draft day last year when they traded the 29th pick, which ended up being Liam McNeeley, and a 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota, or Utah) to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams and always set themselves up for a tough decision to make regarding his free agency after drafting Maluach.

Now, Phoenix has made that decision and clearly values what Williams brings as an interior presence, which is an area that is lacking with the rest of the team.

The Suns will have to come up with a plan to still develop Maluach, whose rookie contract runs to the end of Williams' new deal, and have the option to try to move Ighodaro to the power forward position, although they also have Rasheer Fleming, Ryan Dunn and Peat waiting for minutes there.

Nevertheless, Phoenix was able to sign Gillespie (4 years, $48 million), Goodwin (3 years, $19 million) and Williams to long-term, team-friendly deals while remaining under the second apron even while paying Bradley Beal close to $20 million per year in dead money, which is a huge positive given the financial situation the Suns found themselves in with Beal and Kevin Durant.

When these players become trade eligible, the Suns will also have the ability to make some swing trades now with either them or other pieces such as Royce O'Neale or Grayson Allen depending on how they're performing and how the young players are developing.

The Suns stressed continuity heading into the offseason and these latest moves, capped off by Williams' new deal, have allowed them to do just that barring any trades that might happen this offseason.

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