Mark Williams intends to sign a three-year, $38 million fully guaranteed contract to return to the Phoenix Suns, completing the team’s priority free agent signings for the offseason and keeping the center who anchored their frontcourt through a successful season that exceeded preseason expectations.
Williams, 24, finished negotiations with the Suns on Thursday night. The fully guaranteed structure reflects the confidence both the team and the player have in the arrangement and removes the kind of uncertainty that can create friction in shorter or more conditional deals for young players still establishing themselves at the NBA level.
A breakthrough season in Phoenix
Williams came to Phoenix in a deal made during the 2025 draft and quickly took over the starting center role, contributing to a team that earned a playoff berth after most observers had not anticipated them reaching the postseason. His 2025-26 season was the healthiest of his four-year career, appearing in 60 games after never previously surpassing 44 in a single season. He averaged 11.7 points, eight rebounds, and close to one block per game in under 24 minutes of playing time, numbers that project well if his availability and health continue to improve.
Over his career he has averaged 12 points, 8.5 rebounds, and one block per game, establishing himself as a productive contributor when on the floor. The challenge for Williams has been staying on the floor, making this past season’s durability improvement as encouraging as any statistical development.
From Charlotte to Phoenix and now staying
Williams had been with the Charlotte Hornets before a draft-night trade brought him to Phoenix in 2025, following a failed first trade attempt that had been rescinded around the trade deadline that year. His integration into the Suns’ system worked better than the circumstances of his arrival might have suggested, and the team quickly identified him as a building block worth retaining.
The two sides had been unable to reach an extension agreement during last summer’s negotiating window, which meant Williams entered the offseason as a restricted free agent. That status gave Phoenix the ability to match any outside offer, but the Suns moved proactively to negotiate a direct return rather than waiting to see what the market produced.
A priority free agent list now complete
Phoenix had entered this offseason with a clear set of retention priorities, and Williams is the final piece of that plan to be resolved. The Suns had already reached agreements with two young guards over the weekend, one on a four-year, $48 million deal and another on a three-year, $19 million arrangement, building out a young core that the organization believes can compete in the Western Conference.
The sequence of signings reflects a franchise that has identified its direction and committed to it. Rather than chasing marquee free agents, Phoenix has invested in developing and retaining the players who helped produce last season’s playoff appearance, betting that continuity and improvement can generate further progress in a competitive conference.
Williams will turn 25 during the 2026-27 season, meaning the three-year deal carries him through what should be a prime developmental stretch. If his health holds and his on-court impact grows alongside his role, the fully guaranteed structure looks like a reasonable investment from both sides.
