The Suns don’t have the luxury of waiting forever on Khaman Maluach.
Phoenix is in a spot where young talent matters just as much as star power, maybe more. After giving up Kevin Durant last offseason, the Suns landed the 10th overall pick and used it on Maluach, giving a roster short on draft capital and youth another piece to build around. With the franchise’s future tied so heavily to player development, the former Duke center sits near the front of the line.
That matters because owner Mat Ishbia has been clear about the goal: win a championship around Devin Booker.
Maluach’s appeal is easy to see. His physical tools stand out, he’s shown flashes of floor-stretching ability, and Phoenix’s situation makes him one of the most important young players on the roster.
The Suns also have plenty of cap space to navigate over the next few seasons because of a variety of longterm deals, while Nassir Little and Bradley Beal’s contracts remain on the books. In that kind of setup, Maluach may have the best chance to become Booker’s running mate.
His rookie season didn’t offer much of a spotlight. He played sparingly, with most of his minutes coming in garbage time or when injuries forced the Suns to lean on him.
But his summer changed the conversation. The strong showing has created real buzz heading into the season.
That came with some hardware, too. Known as “Man Man,” Maluach earned 2026 NBA All-Summer League Team honors after averaging 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, which led Summer League.
Phoenix’s center picture is a little clearer now that Mark Williams is signed to a three-year deal for less than the mid-level exception and remains under team control. The Suns traded two first-round picks to get him, and last season he averaged 11.7 points, 8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game in 60 games. He missed the playoffs with a foot injury, and his numbers dipped once the 2026 part of the season started.
Still, if the Suns are going to get back to the Finals and win their first playoff game since 2023, they need more than their established names. They need growth from players who were not major pieces a year ago. Maluach, with his raw talent and encouraging summer, looks like one of the clearest candidates to take that step.
In Other News...
Dillon Brooks Added An Unexpected Twist To His Suns Offseason Work
Dillon Brooks offseason routine took an unexpected turn before he even got back into NBA work, with the Suns sharing that he spent part of the summer training in Kung Fu. The setting alone stood out, and so did the fit: the Wudang Mountains in China are tied to a style built around discipline and body control, two traits that can only add another layer to a player whose game has long been defined by edge, strength and relentless physicality.
Brooks is coming off a career-best NBA season, which already gave Phoenix reason to believe it had added a veteran wing with plenty left in the tank. Now hes folding martial arts into the mix as part of his offseason routine, an unusual wrinkle that makes sense for a player looking to sharpen his body control while keeping the competitive fire that makes him who he is. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face A High-Stakes Booker Decision In Potential Guard Upgrade
Phoenix has spent plenty of time looking for a cleaner answer at point guard, and any move that upgrades the backcourt next to Devin Booker would naturally get attention. In that kind of search, the Suns would be weighing not just fit but future flexibility, especially if the trade market is built around a team with limited draft capital and a need to think carefully about roster balance.
One speculative scenario floating around would send the Suns a proven guard option while asking them to part with a pair of young players from the edge of the rotation. For Phoenix, the appeal is obvious: a steadier table-setter to ease the burden on Booker. The question is whether the cost is too steep for a team still trying to thread the needle between win-now pressure and long-term depth. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Suddenly Have A New Center Question Fans Will Love
The Suns center room looks a lot more stable after bringing Mark Williams back into the fold, and that alone changes the conversation around the roster. Williams gives Phoenix a true interior presence with rim protection, rebounding and easy finishing around the basket, the kind of profile that can quietly reshape how a team defends and how it plays around its guards.
But the intrigue does not stop with one familiar name. Phoenix also has Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro in the mix, which gives the frontcourt a different kind of depth than most teams carry, and Maluach in particular has already flashed the sort of athletic upside that makes the Suns long-term picture harder to pin down. The real question now is less about whether Phoenix has enough size and more about how the rotation sorts itself out once the competition at center starts for real. [Read more 🡒]