Suns acquire Hornets' Williams, draft Maluach

The Phoenix Suns continued their flurry of trade activity that started with moving Kevin Durant over the weekend with another draft night deal Wednesday.

The Suns traded the No. 29 pick and a 2029 first-round selection to the Charlotte Hornets for 7-foot center Mark Williams, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The 2029 pick will be the least favorable of Cleveland's, Utah's and Minnesota's first-round picks and is 1-5 protected, sources said.

Phoenix also lined up another big man, with the Houston Rockets selecting 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach out of Duke with the No. 10 pick. He will be sent to the Suns, along with Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and five second-round picks as part of the Durant deal, sources said.

As part of the Williams trade, Charlotte is acquiring Vasilije Micic, sources told ESPN's Bobby Marks. Micic was traded to Phoenix in February as part of the Jusuf Nurkic trade. Micic's $8.1 million team option will be exercised by Phoenix, sources said.

The 18-year-old Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while starting all 39 games for Duke en route to the Blue Devils' trip to the Final Four. Williams, a fellow Duke alumnus, averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season, his third year in the league after being selected No. 15 by Charlotte in 2022.

Maluach, who was a presented a Rockets hat to wear after being drafted with the trade still pending, spoke about his eventual destination in the Valley of the Sun.

"I'm excited to put on the Phoenix jersey that has my name, that has 'Maluach' on the back," he told reporters. "I'm excited to play for the Suns and step on the floor."

Maluach, who was born in South Sudan and didn't start playing basketball until 2019 in Uganda, was overcome by tears after hearing NBA commissioner Adam Silver call his name.

"It just makes me proud because I had beliefs," Maluach said. "I believed in myself. I was delusional about my dreams. No matter what the odds are against you, it shows that you can win."

Maluach also was asked about the prospect of teaming up with Williams.

"Mark has been in the league for a couple years, and I'm going to learn a lot from him," he said. "I'm going to learn how to navigate and how to get better and what stuff I need to do to be able to play throughout the whole year and get better."

The Williams deal comes five months after the 23-year-old big man's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was rescinded after Williams failed a physical examination. The Lakers had included rookie Dalton Knecht, veteran swingman Cam Reddish a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in the deal.

Injuries have plagued Williams' career -- his 44 games played this year were a career high. He's eligible for a contract extension this summer.

Maluach and Williams will be tasked with shoring up the middle for a Suns team that ranked No. 27 in defensive rating last season. New Suns coach Jordan Ott, while an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, helped guide the Cavs -- featuring twin tower Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen -- to the No. 8 defensive rating in the league.