Grading Mark Williams’ 3-Year, $38 Million Contract With Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have made yet another splash on Thursday evening ahead of the opening of free agency on June 30 - this time in the form of re-upping center Mark Williams on a three-year, $38 million dollar contract. 

Williams is entering his fifth season in the NBA and second in Phoenix following being traded by the Charlotte Hornets last summer. He played the most games in a singular season (60) in his career, while also shooting a near career-best clip from the field. 

The move to bring back Williams doesn't come without concerns, however, as the Duke product has only played 166 out of 328 possible games in his career, which comes out to a roughly 50% clip. This concern was exacerbated when Williams missed the final three weeks of Phoenix's season, including the first-round playoff loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The other major concern resides in his relative inelasticity when matching up against certain personnel - head coach Jordan Ott opted to bring him off the bench on five distinct occasions during the 2025-26 campaign. While Williams is a fantastic rebounder and serviceable rim protector, he doesn't provide much offensively outside of play finishing. He is a quality free-throw shooter, but doesn't get to the line at a high rate. 

These concerns ultimately get covered up in large part due to Williams' strengths, which include his prowess as a rebounder as mentioned above, his elite screen-setting pedigree, and fluidity while moving on the court make him a worthy addition to the Suns' roster. 

It also must be accounted that Williams likely took a bit of a pay-cut to take the extra year of security with the Suns, which is certainly setting the stage to be beneficial for both parties. Williams will be able to continue maximizing his value when he's able to play while having real security behind him, while Phoenix will be paying the three players they re-signed roughly $30 million a year combined - they will also be able to move these contracts in a relatively seamless manner as a proverbial cherry on top.

Williams isn't a perfect player and certainly has real concerns (particularly around health), but he was an effective center for the Suns this past season and is an instrumental piece to keep around while the Phoenix coaching staff continues to bring 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach along in the league. 

Williams Signing Grade: B+

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Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.