ESPN analyst suggests ideal offer for Suns free-agent big man
· Yahoo Sports
Mark Williams didn’t finish his first season with the Phoenix Suns on the court due to a recurring foot injury, but he played a career-high 60 games in the regular season.
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That alone gives Phoenix reason to press forward with the 7-footer.
Williams is a restricted free agent, meaning the Suns can match any offer sheet from another NBA team. ESPN’s Bobby Marks, a former assistant general manager for the Brooklyn Nets, wrote he’d offer Williams a three-year deal for $42 million.
“The contract would start at $13 million and increase to $15 million in the third season,” Marks wrote in a May 22 article. “The first year is $2 million less than the non-tax midlevel exception.”
Williams’ rookie contract was four years, $18 million.
Phoenix isn’t the only team Marks views as an ideal fit for Williams. He sees the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls as viable options.
Like Phoenix, the Hawks and Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, while the Bulls suffered a fourth straight losing season in finishing 31-51.
Williams averaged 11.7 points on 64.4% shooting and eight rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game in the 2025-26 season. He led the Suns in offensive rebounds a game at 3.1.
Posting 14 double doubles, Williams was the only player in the NBA this regular season to average 11.5 points, eight boards and shoot 60% from the field and 75% from the free throw line in a minimum of 12 games.
Marks noted how the Suns are $17 million below the luxury tax and $25 million below the first apron, but have Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, both unrestricted free agents, along with Williams to address in the offseason.
“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,” Marks wrote.
Williams missed 15 consecutive games late in the regular season with left foot third metatarsal stress reaction.
The injury later sidelined him for the play-in tournament game against the Golden State Warriors for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs and first-round series versus defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, Williams played 14 more games than his previous season high of 44 in his third and final season with the Charlotte Hornets.
He started a career-high 55 games with the Suns.
A first-round pick out of Duke, Williams averaged 12.3 points on 62.2% shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks with the Hornets, who landed two first-round selections in trading him to the Suns during the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Suns started Williams in training camp on a conditioning plan to essentially rebuild his body after three injury-filled seasons in Charlotte, where he played a total of 106 games.
On a minute restriction early, Williams had only 30 or more minutes in four games, reaching a season-high 31 minutes, 23 seconds Jan. 13 at the Miami Heat.
- Oct. 27 at Utah Jazz (138-134 OT loss): 25 points, 11 rebounds, 9-of-14 FGs, 7-of-9 FTs.
- Jan. 13 at Miami Heat (127-121 loss): 18 points, 14 rebounds, 8-of-13 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs.
- Jan. 27 vs. Brooklyn Nets (106-102 win): 27 points, six rebounds, 13-of-16 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs.
- Feb. 7 vs. Philadelphia 76ers (109-103 loss): 11 points, 11 rebounds, 4-of-7 FGs, 3-of-5 FTs.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ESPN analyst suggests Phoenix Suns contract offer for Mark Williams