- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,169,962
- Reaction score
- 59
The Phoenix Suns have tendered qualifying offers to Mark Williams and Koby Brea, making them restricted free agents, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweeted June 18.
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30 and start signing them on July 6.
Phoenix was expected to make a qualifying offer to Williams at $9.6 million. The 7-footer averaged 11.7 points and eight rebounds in his first season with the Suns.
The Suns still have Oso Ighodaro, and 7-footer Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, who could be the future starter at center.
The 6-foot-10 Ighodaro started 24 games and played all 82.
Still, the Suns decided to make Williams a restricted free agent as they traded two first-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets during the 2025 draft to acquire him.
Williams played a career-high 60 games after three injury-filled seasons with the Hornets, but the starting big missed the postseason with a recurring left foot third metatarsal stress reaction that sidelined him 15 consecutive games late in the regular season.
Top overall seed Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Suns in the first round.
Taking all those factors into consideration, Williams could command a deal for $12 million to $13 million a year. An offer sheet must be for at least two years. As a restricted free agent, the Suns would be able to match any offer to retain Williams.
Teams must weigh Williams’ injury history with his availability this season when determining if they’ll look to acquire Williams. He’s only 24 years old, a lob threat who runs the floor well and can protect the rim, but Williams still has much room to improve.
The Suns made Brea a restricted free agent with a two-way deal, Smith tweeted.
One of the best shooters in the 2025 draft, Brea was on a two-way deal last season with the Suns. He spent most of his rookie year in the G League with the Valley Suns, but Brea shot 43.3% from 3 in his 12 games with Phoenix.
Brea averaged 3.8 points in 2025-26.
The Suns also have two key unrestricted free agents in Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, who could seek offers from other teams. As unrestricted free agents, the Suns would not be able to automatically retain them by matching any other offer.
ESPN ranked Gillespie, who previously indicated he wants to return to Phoenix, as one of the six underrated free agents in a June 18 story.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns extend qualifying offer to free-agent big Mark Williams
Continue reading...
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30 and start signing them on July 6.
Phoenix was expected to make a qualifying offer to Williams at $9.6 million. The 7-footer averaged 11.7 points and eight rebounds in his first season with the Suns.
The Suns still have Oso Ighodaro, and 7-footer Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, who could be the future starter at center.
The 6-foot-10 Ighodaro started 24 games and played all 82.
Still, the Suns decided to make Williams a restricted free agent as they traded two first-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets during the 2025 draft to acquire him.
Williams played a career-high 60 games after three injury-filled seasons with the Hornets, but the starting big missed the postseason with a recurring left foot third metatarsal stress reaction that sidelined him 15 consecutive games late in the regular season.
Top overall seed Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Suns in the first round.
Taking all those factors into consideration, Williams could command a deal for $12 million to $13 million a year. An offer sheet must be for at least two years. As a restricted free agent, the Suns would be able to match any offer to retain Williams.
Teams must weigh Williams’ injury history with his availability this season when determining if they’ll look to acquire Williams. He’s only 24 years old, a lob threat who runs the floor well and can protect the rim, but Williams still has much room to improve.
You must be registered for see images
The Suns made Brea a restricted free agent with a two-way deal, Smith tweeted.
One of the best shooters in the 2025 draft, Brea was on a two-way deal last season with the Suns. He spent most of his rookie year in the G League with the Valley Suns, but Brea shot 43.3% from 3 in his 12 games with Phoenix.
Brea averaged 3.8 points in 2025-26.
The Suns also have two key unrestricted free agents in Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, who could seek offers from other teams. As unrestricted free agents, the Suns would not be able to automatically retain them by matching any other offer.
ESPN ranked Gillespie, who previously indicated he wants to return to Phoenix, as one of the six underrated free agents in a June 18 story.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns extend qualifying offer to free-agent big Mark Williams
Continue reading...
