Suns Free Agents Ranked Among Best in NBA

PHOENIX -- Now that the offseason is fully in swing, the Phoenix Suns have some key players set to hit free agency.

There's a chance the Suns don't do much else this summer besides retaining their own free agents after going 45-37 this season and making the playoffs despite low preseason expectations and injuries.

The Athletic's John Hollinger recently ranked two of Phoenix's free agents among the 25 best in the NBA.

The Athletic Ranks Suns Players Among Top Free Agents

Hollinger tiered 25 free agents based on a specific valuation system, and it has Collin Gillespie at No. 10 and Mark Williams at No. 23 on the list.

Gillespie was the first player in the MLE (Mid-Level Exception) tier that included the final 15 players and was behind Houston's Tari Eason (No. 9) and followed by Cleveland's Keon Ellis (11) and Milwaukee's Kevin Porter Jr. (12).

Williams was right behind Atlanta's CJ McCollum (22) and ahead of Utah's Walker Kessler (24) and Minnesota's Ayo Dosunmu (25).

Here's how Hollinger described his system:

"I developed a player valuation system called BORD$ (short for “Big Old Rating Dollars”) that uses analytics and playing time data from the last two seasons, projects values for the coming season based on a player’s age and performance and then converts the projected performance and playing time into a salary estimate based on the projected cap in 2026-27 of $165 million."

Gillespie was valued at $21,472,942 based on Hollinger's model.

"This valuation may sound pretty extreme because Gillespie’s career had little traction until he blew up in his age-26 season, but he was fantastic last year," Hollinger wrote of Gillespie. "He’s also a career 40.5 percent 3-point shooter on serious volume, holds his own on defense and can run an offense. Paying him fifth-starter money isn’t crazy.

"The market, however, may work slightly against him, as the Suns only have early Bird rights on Gillespie, capping what they can pay him at an estimated $15.6 million in 2026-27 salary. That still gets Phoenix above rivals offering the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, so it may end up as Gillespie’s best option. A three-year deal for an estimated $51 million would be a nice resolution, especially if the Suns can manage keeping both him and Mark Williams while staying under the second-apron payroll threshold."

As for Williams, Hollinger had his value at $16,190,218, writing:

"Williams helped answer questions about his durability by playing a career-high 60 games for the Suns, and now he seems set for a raise. His qualifying offer of $9.6 million is inexpensive enough that Phoenix surely will tender it to make him a restricted free agent.

"The trick for Phoenix is having enough room below the first apron to bring back both Williams and Collin Gillespie, which may require the Suns to trade one of their 19 shooting guards. Given his restricted status and the durability questions, Williams’ price shouldn’t get crazy; the non-taxpayer MLE seems a realistic ceiling."

Jordan Goodwin is another key free agent the Suns have, and at this point, it seems highly likely both him and Gillespie are re-signed to new deals.

Williams' value is uncertain after he dealt with a foot injury late in the season that caused him to miss Phoenix's first-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Suns have a decision to make with Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro ready for bigger roles.

Phoenix is already able to negotiate with its own free agents, so we will see if they can reach deals before free agency begins June 30.

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