Timeline Revealed As Phoenix Suns Lose $38M Free Agent Signing For Extended Period

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A brutal break for the Phoenix Suns. Just two months after re-signing restricted free agent Mark Williams to a three-year, $38 million deal, the 24-year-old center has had surgery to repair a torn labrum and will be out for at least five months.

Although the team has not released a timeline for Williams' absence, Phoenix insider John Gambadoro has revealed that it will be at least five months before he returns. 

That would be after the All-Star Break in mid-February, at least. 

The injury occured during an offseason workout.

None of this should be considered much of a surprise, as Williams has only been able to play more than half a season once in his four-year career. He has missed 140 games in that time, while playing in just 166. 

In addition to this left shoulder injury, his list of injuries includes:

  • torn labrum
  • left foot stress reaction
  • strained tendon in his left foot
  • severe back injury
  • Minor ankle sprains
  • sprained right thumb

Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach will hold down the fort at center in Williams' absense, as Ighodaro did late last season.

The 7-foot-1 Williams did play a career-high 60 games last season, his first year with the Suns. He averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game. He shot 64.4% from the floor. He's averaged one blocked shot per game over the course of his career, and 12 points along with 8.5 boards. 

He was a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by Charlotte, with the 15th overall selection.