The Phoenix Suns have been at the center of the NBA offseason recently after trading away Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. After the first draft round, the Suns used the No. 10 pick they received from Houston on Duke center Khaman Maluach to boost their frontcourt. Then, the Suns traded the No. 29 pick and a 2029 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Mark Williams.
Despite how active the Suns were, not everyone was on board with their draft-day moves. Bill Simmons mentioned on The Bill Simmons Podcast how he did not understand Phoenix's thinking on draft day with drafting Maluach and then trading for another center in Williams, specifically because they both have similar play styles.
Simmons said, “These are my notes as it's happening, ‘Ishbia! He's back. Green Brooks and Maluach for KD isn't bad.' That was my next note. ‘Oh, wait, they're also trading for Mark Williams. Why?' It all happened in like three minutes. Like, oh wait. What are you guys doing? And they traded the 29th pick, which they needed this year, because it's not like they have a—–load of depth and then a '29 first that is not theirs. But I don't understand why you would have Mark Williams and Maluach. What's the point of having both those guys?”
The belief by Simmons that Phoenix's initial actions of receiving Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks and then drafting Khaman Maluach were a great deal in return for Kevin Durant. Still, when they traded for Mark Williams, he scratched his head. Simmons' point makes sense, but the Suns badly needed help in the frontcourt, and now they have two players who can help similarly.
One of the Suns' issues is that they need to add depth, so getting rid of their 29th pick does not help because they could have used it to add depth elsewhere, like on the wing.
Maluach and Williams are not scoring big men, so with Durant gone, most of the scoring production will come from the backcourt, thanks to some combination of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Bradley Beal. In contrast, the Hornets drafted former UConn wing Liam McNeeley with that pick, someone who could have provided a scoring punch and taken some pressure off that crowded backcourt, despite the move not being the perfect fit in Charlotte.