Insider: Suns 'Not Expected' to Sign New Starter to Extension

The Phoenix Suns have a big deadline coming up before the season regarding one of their new acquisitions this summer.

After trading for Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in June, the Suns have until Oct. 20 to decide if they want to sign the big man to a rookie contract extension. If they don't, he will be a restricted free agent next summer.

According to NBA inside Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the extension is unlikely to happen.

"Phoenix, for example, is not expected to come to terms with recently acquired center Mark Williams," Fischer wrote Friday. "Sources say that the Suns would prefer to bank another full season of data on Williams — hopefully marked by some sustained health after Williams was limited to 106 games in his first three NBA seasons — before committing to a new deal for the Duke product."

As Fischer pointed out, the 23-year-old Williams has been hampered by injuries so far in his career, which even led the Los Angeles Lakers rescinding a trade from him in February.

The Suns are following an intentional plan to hold Williams out of the preseason to make sure he is healthy for the regular season, and Williams said he "will be playing opening night," which is on Oct. 22 against the Sacramento Kings.

"When it comes to moving him forward, we're going to be strategic," Suns GM Brian Gregory said of Williams. "We're going to be smart. But he's in a good place right now, and I think in terms of what he's been through, he's shown glimpses of what he can be, and it's our job to put him in, mentally and physically, in a position to do that on a consistent basis.

"We're excited about the future with Mark for sure."

Suns' Options at Center

The Suns have plenty of options at center for the future if Williams' health continues to be a problem this year after completely revamping the position this offseason.

Phoenix drafted Duke's Khaman Maluach, who was regarded as the No. 1 center in his class, No. 10 overall in June and still has last year's starting center Nick Richards on the roster.

The Suns have also been high on Oso Ighodaro as he enters his second year in the league, starting the big man in both of their preseason games so far.

Maluach is on the first season of a four-year rookie deal, but still has a lot of room to develop, while Ighodaro is on the second year of his rookie contract.

Richards, like Williams, is on the final season of his contract, so this could lead to the Suns making a decision between Richards and Williams next summer if they don't extend either of them.

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