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Suns trade for Mark Williams, draft Khaman Maluach moments apart
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- Suns trade for Mark Williams, draft Khaman Maluach moments apart
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The post Suns trade for Mark Williams, draft Khaman Maluach moments apart appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Phoenix Suns are looking to rectify their issues at the center position in a big way during the 2025 NBA Draft. In addition to drafting Khaman Maluach with the 10th overall pick, they also decided to trade away the 29th pick of this year's draft along with a 2029 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams , as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
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Williams was originally headed to the Los Angeles Lakers this past February for a package involving Dalton Knecht , Cam Reddish , a 2030 first-round pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick. That trade ended up being rescinded after the Lakers became wary of Williams' physical.
That ordeal ended up depressing Williams' trade value. This paved the way for the Suns to pick him up for a late first-round pick as well as another potential late first-rounder in 2029. (They will be getting the least favorable of any picks they'll be receiving during that year anyway.)
Williams' health remains a huge question mark ; this past season, he suited up in just 44 games for the Hornets, although he did play 21 of their final 30 games of the season after rejoining the team following the failed trade. When healthy, Williams is a double-double machine who should be a building block for a Suns team that's currently mired in a state of flux.
While trading away two firsts for someone who's as big of a question mark on the health front as Williams may be questionable for a team as draft-pick starved as the Suns, they had to take some swings considering how they do not control their own their pick until 2032. This means that they cannot tank, instead needing to remain semi-competitive.
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If Williams stays healthy and Maluach proves to be the interior force many talent evalutors believe he can be, then the Suns should be set in the frontcourt for years to come.
More roster changes to come for the Suns
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One would think that there will be more changes to come for the Suns. It may not be the best idea for them to keep Jalen Green (the main piece they received in the Kevin Durant trade) on the roster, as a trio of Devin Booker , Bradley Beal , and Green do not quite seamlessly fit on the basketball court.
Trading Beal away would be the best-case scenario for the Suns, but even divine intervention may not be enough to get Beal to waive his no-trade clause. It would be shrewd for the Suns to feel out what Green would bring back on the trade market .
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