GLENDALE – After being swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Phoenix Suns shift their focus to a busy offseason. General manager Brian Gregory will have two crucial free agents to re-sign this Summer in Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams. While Gillespie played in 84 of the team’s 86 games this season and was special, his contract will be much easier compared to Williams.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Once Gregory finds a contract for Gillespie, he won’t have much money to pay Williams his fair share. Williams played a career high in 60 games this season, not playing more than 44 beforehand. However, he once again was hit with the injury bug and missed the postseason. If including the 24 year old’s injury history, Phoenix might let him walk this Summer because of the money problems the franchise inherits.
Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix center Williams (15) against the Boston Celtics in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
How far are Suns to different level of NBA Cap implications:
- Suns guaranteed salaries in 2026-2027: $182.1 million
- Luxury Tax: $18.9 million away
- First apron: $27.9 million away
- Second apron: $40.9 million away
Feb 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Owner Mat Ishbia is fully energized in competing, which means dipping in the luxury tax likely won’t be a problem for him. However, conservatively thinking, if Gillespie gets around $15 million annual, the Suns would only have around $12 million annual to offer Williams before reaching the first apron threshold.
Being in the first apron prevents the use of Bi-Annual exception, the mid-level exceptions drops from non-taxpayer $15 million and room $9.3 million to $5 million and limits trades to salary matching within 110%. Gregory doesn’t want to make his life harder as GM, so one could assume he will do anything to not be in the first or second apron.
Jun 10, 2025; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns general manager Brian Gregory during an introductory press conference at the Verizon 5g Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
A similar contract that the Suns could offer Williams, is from Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams. He had injury problems of his own, which led to the Boston Celtics signing the 28-year-old to a smaller contract than what his production showed. He is the final year of the initial four-year, $48 million deal, with a salary increase every year.
The market is completely different from when Williams signed that contract in the 2022 offseason. The salary cap was $40 million less, and without aprons made free agency much easier for teams to re-sign their players.
Phoenix could survive by letting Williams walk, seeing it drafted Khaman Maluach 10th overall in the 2025 NBA draft. However, it would make the decision to trade two first-round pick for Williams, despite them being late round picks, very questionable for a team that possesses very limited draft assets.
Jan 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams against the Miami Heat at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Another option is trading away player already under contract for 2026-2027 to create cap space to sign Williams. The obvious choice is Grayson Allen, seeing how he is entering his year 31 season and is making the fourth most money on the team with $18.1 million. Allen was suffering from a multitude of injuries last season and could be a sign of his body breaking down towards his later years.
Allen averaged a career-high in points and has elevated his value to the peak it can be in any trade. If Gregory could trade him for a contract under $10 million, while recouping draft picks, then he would be able to offer Gillespie and Williams contracts around $18 million and fill out the rest of the roster with minimum contracts.
The core remains relatively the same, with one of the younger guys like Rasheer Fleming or Ryan Dunn taking on more responsibility in a bench scoring role. The center rotation remains deep, with Williams, Maluach and Oso Ighodaro all sharing playing time. There is an avenue for Gregory to achieve that goal, but it comes with a price of trading a crucial bench piece.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
