Oso Ighodaro’s value around the league may be climbing without him even taking the floor, and the reason is pretty simple: the center market has thinned out fast.
The Phoenix Suns big man is entering his third season with the franchise, and while his roster spot is still far from locked in, he has settled into a useful role for head coach Jordan Ott as an energetic forward/center off the bench. At 23, he’s already starting to look like a familiar piece in a team that has turned over plenty in the last couple of seasons.
What’s boosting his stock right now is everything happening around him. Former Sun Jock Landale landed a one-year, $14 million deal to return to the Atlanta Hawks.
Jonas Valanciunas was waived by the Denver Nuggets, with the expectation that he could head back to Europe to finish his career. And the Utah Jazz chose to give Mo Bamba two more years.
Those moves matter because they underline how little reliable depth there is at center right now. The top of the position is loaded - Nikola Jokic is the obvious standard bearer, and Karl-Anthony Towns is having a deserved moment - but teams still need multiple bodies and different looks to throw at opponents every night.
That’s where Ighodaro becomes more interesting. He’s still on a rookie deal, he can still improve, and compared with some of the alternatives floating around the league, he suddenly looks a lot more valuable. If your options are Bamba or Landale and you’re trying to win games, that’s not exactly a selling point.
In Other News...
Summer League Could Expose Which Suns Prospects Are Actually Ready
The Suns head into 2026 Summer League with a roster that should tell them plenty about the next wave of their young talent. A mix of rookies and more seasoned prospects gives Phoenix a chance to sort through different stages of development, with first-rounders Peat and Maluach drawing the most attention and second-round picks Fleming and Brea also getting a real chance to show where they stand.
For a team trying to build out its future, this is the kind of setting that can separate long-term projects from players who are ready to push for a bigger role sooner rather than later. Peat, Maluach, Fleming and Brea all arrive with different expectations, and the Suns will be watching not just for production, but for the kind of progress that hints at how quickly each one can fit into the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Miles Bridges Brings Another Off Court Cloud Over The Suns
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Both sides have now filed legal documents accusing the other of misconduct in connection with those custody issues, keeping the case active and the details in motion. For Phoenix, it is another unwelcome distraction attached to a player whose off-court history has already made every new development a sensitive one, and the Suns have not commented on the situation. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Just Raised The Stakes For Khaman Maluach
The Suns used a lottery pick on Khaman Maluach last summer because they wanted to build around his size and long-term upside at center, and they have not backed away from that plan. Even so, the roster around him has made the path more crowded, with Mark Williams back in the fold and Oso Ighodaro still in place, which means Maluach is entering a season where development and opportunity will have to line up at the right time.
Brian Gregory has already made clear that Maluachs minutes will be determined by a mix of factors once the season begins, so nothing is being handed to him. For now, the next chance to make his case comes in Las Vegas, where Summer League gives him a stage to show the Suns why he should be more than a developmental piece in a rotation that already has some established names ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]