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Suns add front court depth, sign Duop Reath
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 21: Duop Reath #26 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns during the In-Season Tournament on November 21, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns are acting fast to address the hit that Mark Williams’ shoulder injury last week did to their front court depth. The team is signing center Duop Reath, according to ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania. Reath, 30 took a circuitous path to start his NBA career. Starting in community college and then transferring to LSU for his final years in the NCAA, he played overseas in China, Serbia, and Lebanon before making his NBA debut with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2023-2024 season.
Reath spent the 2022 summer league with the Phoenix Suns but will now have a chance to prove it on the regular season roster. With Williams expected to be out for a majority of the season, Reath is expected to be behind 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach and third-year big man Oso Ighodaro in the center rotation.
Averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 36% shooting from three as a rookie, Reath’s productivity and playing time have declined since his first season, with Portland drafting Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen in the 2024 and 2025 drafts to play ahead of him. His playing time went down in the following two seasons, and he missed the final half of the 2025-2026 campaign after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot in the middle of January.
A willing three-point shooter, Reath has a chance to make the roster considering the team’s front court injuries and his willingness and ability to take and make threes, something Ighodaro and Maluach have seldom shown early in their careers. Expect his minutes to come along the team’s reserves if the team’s front court players are having foul issues or are hurt.
The Suns’ preseason is less than three weeks away, and their regular season begins on October 21st.