Go big: Phoenix Suns double-up on centers Khaman Maluach and Mark Williams in 2025 NBA Draft
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns had many questions surrounding them when their season ended on April 13, missing the playoffs in a disappointing 36-46 campaign. After appointing new general manager Brian Gregory on May 1, hiring new coach Jordan Ott on June 4 and trading star Kevin Durant on Sunday, some of those questions began to be answered.
Now, after Wednesday night, the Suns answered another question at a crucial position.
Phoenix fulfilled a huge need during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft – doubling up on seven-footers by selecting Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 pick, and trading the 29th pick, Vasilije Micić and a heavily-protected 2029 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams.
Many mock drafts projected that the Suns would target a center with at least one of their first-round picks. They more than satisfied that assumption, as Maluach was largely considered the best big-man prospect coming into the draft.
“Everything was off the chart,” Gregory said. “His work ethic, his ability to be coached, his desire to become the very best fits in exactly with what we’re looking to build in Phoenix.”
The Suns acquired both centers within mere minutes of each other – instantly addressing a hole at the position that’s been left unfilled since parting ways with former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton two offseasons ago, and trading Jusuf Nurkić in February after he butted heads with former coach Mike Budenholzer.
“They drafted their center of the future, and then they just traded for their starter,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a livestream on NBA on ESPN’s YouTube channel.
Maluach, who turns 19 in September, fell lower than draft experts expected when Phoenix selected him at No. 10.
“If he was at 10, that was someone that we would take immediately,” Gregory said. “I told (Suns owner) Mat (Ishbia) this morning, ‘I don’t think he’s going to be there.’”
The South Sudan native represented his country at the 2024 Summer Olympics before playing his freshman season at Duke, where he averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game.
“Obviously that’s a big part of the NBA game now – being able to put pressure on the rim offensively,” Gregory said. “He is tremendous at that. He’s a great on-ball screener, rolls extremely well, has great hands which is really important.”
At 7-foot-2, 250 pounds, Maluach’s defensive potential ranks among the best of this year’s draft prospects. His wingspan was measured as the longest at the NBA Draft Combine in May, with his 9-foot-6 standing reach recorded as the second highest.
He was the defensive anchor of a Blue Devils team that reached the Final Four in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, alongside the No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who joined the Dallas Mavericks.
“Last year, we were I think 27th in rim protection, so he brings a great defensive presence for us,” Gregory said. He later added, “We were not a very good rebounding team, offensively or defensively, there’s got to be a physical aspect of that to be successful – and he definitely brings it.”
A product of the rapidly-growing NBA Academy Africa, a training program established by the NBA to develop top prospects in the continent, Maluach has already left a lasting legacy in Africa. At only 17 years old against a star-studded Team USA, Maluach scored seven points with three rebounds and a block in 12 minutes of an exhibition game ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
“I’m here representing the whole continent,” Maluach told ESPN after being selected. “Inspiring young kids and the next generation of African basketball.”
Maluach’s selection with the 10th pick was made possible by Sunday’s Durant trade, as the Houston Rockets traded the pick to Phoenix as part of the deal.
The Suns pair Maluach with Williams, who has played in three NBA seasons after his 2022 selection by the Hornets at No. 15 overall out of Duke. Williams, 23, averaged 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in an injury-riddled 2024-25 season.
Ott is familiar with utilizing towering big men. Last season in Cleveland, Ott coached a two-headed monster of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt and had success in managing the 6-foot-11 tandem. Cleveland finished with an Eastern Conference best 64-18 record.
“(Ott’s experience with coaching big men) was a big part,” Gregory said. “In all these meetings, Jordan was lock-step with us. Watching film with us, talking about different things – how we’re going to play, things that are important to him … having bigs that are versatile, can protect the rim, but can still get on ball screens.”
A promising young player who has shown flashes of brilliance as a lob threat and rim protector with his 7-foot, 241-pound frame, Williams has struggled with injuries throughout his career. He missed 140 games due to a variety of injuries during his time in the NBA – primarily to his back, ankle and thumb.
At the February trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers initially traded for Williams, but the deal was rescinded after the Lakers medical staff failed him on a medical examination. Williams and his agent disputed that decision.
Gregory did not comment on the Williams acquisition, nor the specifics of the Durant trade, as those moves have not yet been made official by the league office.
The Suns now shift their focus to the second round on night two with picks No. 52 and No. 59.
“It’s an exciting time, it really is,” Gregory said. “It was definitely a collective effort to come out as successful as we did tonight.”