At $17 million below the luxury tax and $25 million below the first apron, the Suns are walking a financial tightrope with free agents Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Williams.
Williams’ durability issues plagued the first three seasons of his career, in which he sat out 116 games because of back, foot and thumb injuries.
In his first season with Phoenix, Williams sat out 10 games because of a stress reaction in his left foot but still played a career-high 60 games. (Because of the foot injury, Williams did not appear in the Suns’ first-round playoff loss.)
Williams ranked in the top 20 in offensive rebounds per game and played a significant role in Phoenix’s jump from 26th to sixth in second-chance points this season. 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.