The Suns are Forced into an Impossible Decision…

The Suns are Forced into an Impossible Decision…

This was an interesting risk for the Phoenix Suns as at the trade deadline, Matt Ishbia and Brian Gregory made the trade to acquire a center from the Charlotte Hornets who’s had some injury concerns and potential risks of being a free agent going into this next off season. So, what does that mean for Mark Williams going into this year? What does that mean for Jordan in the Suns? Evaluating what he can be for this team. Well, we’re going to dive in and explore all of that and more on this latest episode here on Suns Digest. I’m your host, Bruce Bles, and thank you guys so much for tuning in and showing your support here on the channel. It is very appreciated. We do love all the comments you guys have been giving us down below. So, let us know your latest thoughts on Mark Williams and what you guys think he could ultimately be for the Phoenix Suns down below in the comment section. And like I said, if you want to make sure you stay up to date on everything revolving around this team, make sure to continue to hit that subscribe button. 65% of you guys are not subscribed. So if you want to stay in the know of everything revolving around the Suns, even with this being a little bit of a drier part, make sure to hit that subscribe. But without further ado, let’s dive in. Let’s get into all the news today. Make sure to grab that snack and let’s get into it as we’re going to discuss our evaluation ultimately on Mark Williams here. and maybe your minds might change by the end of this video. But like I said, we’re going to go over an article that I wrote for Bright Side of the Sun that dives into Mark Williams and figuring out what he is worth for this Phoenix Suns team. Like I mentioned in the introduction, there are a lot of question marks surrounding Mark Williams here. And we’re going to be looking at those three questions here and ultimately going over my answers for those as well. The first question would be asking, is Mark Williams injuryprone? The reason why I asked this question is Mark Williams hasn’t been healthy for any of his really NBA seasons that he’s been playing. For three years, he’s played in a total of 103 games. And in those g seasons, he’s only averaged around 40 games for his best year. He had 44, 43, and then he had 19. So that’s not great looking at Mark Williams. Not to mention the fact that the Lakers tried to trade for Mark Williams last trade deadline. We all remember that where that trade got rescended. Mark Williams had some injury problems, that’s why they rescended the trade. I don’t necessarily know if that’s the case why it got sent back. But the Suns feel confident that at least Mark Williams can be a differencemaker and say when he’s healthy, he is a top 10 big in the NBA. His stats would reflect that. He could average a double double, be that shot blocking, rim protecting beast. The Suns do need to work in the pick and roll to be that aggressive rebounder, to be that defensive presence. But not only just that, he’s a pretty solid free throw shooter as well. So, if the Suns could get comfortable with him stretching out, maybe hitting some mid-range shots or potentially even some three-pointers, that could ultimately bring Mark Williams into a new light into this game and could be a key differencemaker for the Suns. But my answer to this when looking at Mark Williams is ultimately that I do think he is a little bit of injury proness. He has obviously seen some time throughout his career where he has been hurt. Like I mentioned, the most games he’s been able to play in his NBA career is 44 in a season, and that is a little bit worrisome. But with the Suns here, they obviously have that insurance with Nick Richards in their back court as a back as a backup big depending if he gets hurt. They drafted common mileatch with the 10th Royal Suction and they have Osu Gdaro who shined in the summer week. So they do have that insurance just in case if Mark Williams goes down. But that is one thing to look at Mark Williams and to really evaluate how much he ultimately could be worth as well. The next question gets into that kind of standpoint. As like I mentioned, Mark Williams is a restricted free agent. And as we could see from restricted free agency already taking place this off seasonason, we see all four of the main restricted free agents, guys in Jonathan Kaminga, Quinton Grimes, Cam Thomas, and um Josh Giddy not get their bags, not get what they necessarily want and are kind of being, you know, either forced into signing trades or forced to take less money or even maybe prove it contracts to really solidify themselves to get that big bag next off season. Now, obviously, it’s a little bit different because next year a lot more teams will have cap space. This offseason there weren’t a lot of teams that did have it. So, it was a little bit tougher for those restricted free agents. So, maybe a team would be more willing to take away Mark Williams. But that question kind of comes into play now because is it smart for the Suns to extend him at this moment where they haven’t seen him play, right, and ultimately have all the leverage and could sign him to a bad contract, something that he could potentially not be worth down the line or could they sign him so they get a bargain deal, right? And then in two, three years when Mark Williams is looking exceptional on this deal and what Kamala watch potentially pans out as well, the Suns have the option to really decide if they want to run that double big, potentially trade one of those centers or have that flexibility down the line. My personal answer for all of this is from seeing how uh unflexible restricted free agency is for some of these guys. I think the Suns should not offer him that contract because they’ve yet to see him play. We could see a season where he does play 19 games. We could see a season where with the depth of this front court, he plays 65 games and that could be a very great season. I think if you’re the Suns, obviously you’re now underneath both the first and second apron at this moment. So, you have all flexibility in free agency and you would have that ability to extend Mark Williams because you have his bird rights with him being a restricted free agent, being able to give him more in those deals. So, I do think for the Phoenix Suns, this will benefit them in their eyes if they do not extend him because if he does shine bright like a diamond out there this season and proves that he can be a top 15 or top 10 center in the NBA, the Suns will have the money to bring him back. And if he doesn’t well then the Suns didn’t screw themselves and tie themselves and attach themselves to a contract that didn’t pan out and they can either sign him to a cheaper contract to have him as a backup big or just let him walk in free agency and use that money elsewhere to go and find a role that they do need if a guy like Malawatch Osukdar Nick Richards does pan out and does be that uh those filling center room in that department to really showcase to the Suns. And then the last question when looking at the Phoenix Suns and ultimately the biggest question I think surrounding around Mark Williams is what should they pay Mark Williams? Like I mentioned in his career he’s averaged 12.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks and nearly 24 minutes per game. Clearly, he shows he could be an impactful big. And when he is out there on the court, I do think that he is very resemblant of getting some big-time money. So my answer on what type of contract I think he should get? Well, I think he kind of falls in between two tiers here. Obviously, I think that he’s very similar to a guy Mitchell Robinson at this point of his career. Mitchell Robinson came in with some high expectations as this offensive rebounding being this defensive rebound stopper. But obviously, the injuries have hindered him from being that top tier potential big and have kind of limited him to being, you know, a very solid backup big or even in a starting rotation being someone who can hold their own and be like, you know, a top 15, top 20 NBA style big. And I do think a guy like Mark Williams has that potential. Ultimately, if he can stay healthy and be a little bit more healthier than a guy Mitchell Robinson, then I obviously can see him being better. I think he has better traits than a guy. And Mitchell Robinson, I think he can be a better version of that. And when you compare that type of contract, Mitchell Robinson got what, four years, $60 million. It was obviously descaling. I don’t know if the Suns can get a descaling from Mark Williams. It might have to be the opposite or it might have to be flatlined. But a 4-year $80 million contract kind of scaling up with the new CBA going into play for because obviously the percentages have gone up. It’s going to be more than $15 million when comparing to other bigs. I do think around $18 to $20 million is a fair amount of money for a guy in Mark Williams there around four years 80 million. You could also compare him to similar like guy I mentioned in Jiren Allen I think who’s getting a $20 million deal. I when looking at other NBA contracts north of 25, it didn’t really make sense for a guy like Mark Williams to really be getting that. Maybe he could sneak himself into that 22 to $23 million range. We’ll have to wait and see. But maybe if he hasn’t a stellar year this year, clearly proves he could be a top 10 pick, then he can get that 25 to30 million. But if I were looking at his price right now, I would say between 18 and 22. But I would say 20 would be a comfortable number. Four years, 80 million. something I would be comfortable giving Mark Williams from seeing his production so far in the NBA. And if we get that type of production in the NBA this year, I think that’s a very comfortable number for him to be receiving getting going into the year. Because not only is that a comfortable contract for a starting center in the NBA relative to who is comparisons are across the league, but also added to the fact that a guy in Mark Williams in my opinion at a $20 million contract can be very tradable. And like I mentioned multiple times, the Suns have that depth now in the front court like not last year and the year previous. They have Kabam Malawatch, they have Osu Gadaro, they have Nick Richards. So if a guy like Mark Williams goes down, they can supplement that and fill it in. If one of those guys rises to the occasion, maybe they don’t see the need of Mark Williams that much. But if Mark Williams does dominate, clearly showcases that he is the best big man in the room here, then clearly he can get a big payday going into next year. And that’s something that I would like to see from Mark Williams. Personally, I really like him. I think he can be a differencemaker. I think ultimately in Charlotte, there was just not enough play. Uh there was a lot of playing time for him, but there just wasn’t enough run for him to really develop. And I do think in a Jordan A system playing alongside Deon Booker and some of these other guys compared to Charlotte where maybe they don’t really care as much. I think Phoenix is going to be bought in and I think that type of Mark Williams is going to shine for the Valley. So, let me know your thoughts down below in the comments section. Let me know what you guys ultimately think on Mark Williams and what you guys think he could really be for the Phoenix Suns. Once again, thank you guys so much for tuning in today’s video and I’ll catch you guys in the next one.

Enjoy the August 2nd edition of Phoenix Suns News or Suns News today! Bruce Veliz discusses the latest Phoenix Suns news. He breaks down the recent news surrounding the Suns’ on the recent updates. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

Suns Digest is a channel that covers the latest reports, rumors, and news regarding the Phoenix Suns. The Channel covers all topics, including trades, free-agent signings, quotes and games. If you want the latest updates on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkic, Bol Bol, Ryan Dunn, Mike Budenholzer, Mat Ishbia, or James Jones, make sure to subscribe to Suns Digest.

Suns Digest is a channel that covers the latest reports, rumors, and news regarding the Phoenix Suns. The Channel covers all topics, including trades, free-agent signings, quotes and games. If you want the latest updates on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkic, Bol Bol, Ryan Dunn, Mike Budenholzer, Mat Ishbia, or James Jones, make sure to subscribe to Suns Digest.

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