Phoenix Suns to keep Mark Williams with $38M deal
· Yahoo Sports
The Phoenix Suns continue to stand pat as they intend to re-sign restricted free agent Mark Williams to a three-year, $38-million deal, league sources confirmed with The Arizona Republic on June 25.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news on Williams.
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Teams can begin to sign free agents on July 6. The Suns won 45 games and returned to the playoffs after missing it in 2024-25 with Williams starting 55 games at center.
The Suns initially tendered a qualifying offer of $9.6 million to the 7-footer to make him a restricted free agent, which means they could match any offer from another team to retain Williams.
Williams, 24, averaged 11.7 points and eight rebounds in his first season in Phoenix. He played a career-high 60 games after playing a total of 106 games in three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.
The Suns traded two first-round picks in the 2025 draft to acquire Williams from Charlotte.
However, Williams wasn’t available for the 2026 playoffs with a recurring left foot third metatarsal stress reaction that sidelined him 15 consecutive games late in the regular season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Suns in the first round.
Sources informed The Republic last week there was little interest from teams in Williams, who stayed relatively healthy last season after three injury-plagued years in Charlotte despite being sidelined during the playoffs.
Offer sheets have to be at least two years. The thought was Williams could get paid $12 million to $13 million a year on a new deal. That’s in essence what Phoenix intends to pay him on this three-year, $38-million deal.
The Suns have addressed three major free agents as they re-signed unrestricted free agents Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin earlier this month.
With Williams returning, the Suns have three big men in Khaman Maluach, who was a rookie last season, and Oso Ighodaro, who played all 82 games.
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: Phoenix Suns intend to re-sign Mark Williams for $38 million