The sun center Mark Williams According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man underwent surgery Thursday to repair the tear.
While there is no specific timetable for Williams’ return to the court, it is safe to assume that he will be out for at least part of the regular season. Charania says the big man is expected to miss an “extended period,” while Suns reporter John Gambadora of Arizona Sports 98.7 plugged in tweets that the recovery process will take “a considerable amount of time.”
Gambadora adds (via Twitter) that Williams will likely miss several months, matching the recovery timelines of other NBA players who have suffered similar injuries in recent years.
After a series of foot and back problems in his first three NBA seasons with the Hornets, Williams played in a record 60 regular-season games for the Suns last season following an offseason trade that sent him from Charlotte to Phoenix. The former 15th overall pick has played in just four games since March 3 because of a stress response left foot, but put up solid numbers overall, making 55 starts and averaging 11.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 23.6 minutes a night.
Williams received a qualifying offer from the Suns in June, making him a restricted free agent, and then quickly agreed to the terms with the club on a three-year, $38 million contract. This deal is fully guaranteed and will run throughout the 2028/29 season.
With Williams on the shelf, Phoenix looks to lean more heavily on a pair of young big men, a third-year forward/center Very Igadara and second year center Haman Maluach.
Ighodaro played in all 82 regular season games for the Suns in 2025/26, averaging 6.5 ppg and 5.1 ppg at 22.0 mpg. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), Phoenix had a +5.1 net rating when the 24-year-old was on the court, compared to a -2.5 rating when he sat.
Maluach, the 10th pick in the 2025 draft, played a modest role as a rookie, logging just 8.9 minutes per contest in 46 games. However, at the Las Vegas Summer League in July, he indicated he was ready for a bigger role, averaging 19.5 PPG, 12.8 RPG and 2.0 BPG in four outings.