The Phoenix Suns complete roster reconstruction is underway and after the Suns sent Kevin Durant to Houston, they’ve made more moves to get younger. The Suns traded for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, the same one that was supposed to be dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers.
As part of the deal, they traded away the No. 29 pick and a 2029 first round pick. It’s a move the Suns needed to make to get a better frontcourt. They traded Yusuf Nurkic and now without Durant, they needed more height. They still have the backcourt of Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.
It looks like they’re going to build around them for now and they felt adding Williams was the best move for that. I think if they were going to do that, they probably shouldn’t have given up draft capital as well. They need draft capital, not to expend it.
Suns trade grade: D+
Hornets trade grade: B
Suns land Mark Williams from Hornets after Lakers pass on him at trade deadline
Williams is getting a second shot at playing on a new team. He was supposed to be a Los Angeles Laker and in the eleventh hour, the deal fell through. The Lakers were desperate to fill their massive need for a true center and it failed. Now Williams is officially headed to Phoenix.
There's no failed physical or any minor intricacies that upended this deal. This one's official. I see why the Suns made the move, I just don't agree with what they gave up to get him. The Suns aren't in the position to give up any players and they certainly can't keep expending draft picks for players either.
While the pick isn't until 2029, this team won't be together by then. They have a lot of work to do to recoup what they lost in trading for Durant and Beal. Williams is a start, but they need more than him to become a contender in the Western conference. To make matters worse, the West just got a whole lot tougher with Cooper Flagg in Dallas.
The Suns made the most of the Lakers' scraps after they opted to pass on Williams at the last second. They better hope it was worth it. They gave up more than they should in a desperate attempt to get this roster back together. They need more than a center to get this team rolling.
Don't let the Williams move overshadow this team needs a guard badly. Until then, adding Williams won't mean much. The Suns have a long way to go to get competitive in the West again. This is a start, but far from the end.