Mark Williams trade looking like steal for Suns

Williams is generally an opportunistic player in the Suns' offense, which features a lot of three-point shooting and a lot of Williams put-backs off offensive rebounds — he gets 3.2 per game. Tuesday showed that Williams can handle a larger volume of shots and opportunities. Like the one he found in Phoenix in general

The Mark Williams trade has been a huge success

The Hornets initially tried to trade Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers in the aftermath of swapping Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. That trade fell through after Williams failed a physical.

Williams could be better off. While playing with Luka Doncic and LeBron James in Los Angeles is a great showcase, it's also a lot of pressure. Plus, the Lakers deciding to fail Williams' physical may have been the result of second thoughts about the trade rather than medical concerns, since it wasn't a secret Williams had missed a lot of games in his NBA career.

Now, Williams is with a team that definitely wanted him, and spent two first-round picks to get him. They weren't amazing picks — No. 29 pick Liam McNeeley and a 2029 pick that's the least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah's picks.

For a 7-foot-1 center who only turned 24 in December, that's a good price. He's only missed five games this season and should set a career-high in games played before the All-Star Break.

After committing to older stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal for two seasons, the Suns have surrounded Booker with young, improving and athletic players. Williams fits in great, especially when they turn him loose on offense.