Suns waive Koby Brea

Ighodaro injured his oblique during the Suns’ season-opening loss to the Trail Blazers and has missed the last two games. While his absence hasn’t changed the starting lineup, as Khaman Maluach has been the preferred center, it has led to Duop Reath getting rotation minutes off the bench.

Ighodaro exited early from Wednesday’s game against Portland and was initially listed as doubtful for this one. Duop Reath should fill out the backup center minutes behind Khaman Maluach.

Ighodaro, initially believed to have suffered a hip injury during Wednesday’s loss to the Trail Blazers, has been diagnosed with an oblique strain. His absence on Saturday would likely result in Duop Reath playing rotation minutes off the bench, with Khaman Maluach remaining the starting center.

Ighodaro took a hit to his right hip during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game. Although he initially tried to play through the injury, the 7-footer was subbed out with just over a minute left in the half. Ighodaro didn’t return to the bench for the third quarter, and he’s done for the night. Khaman Maluach, who started Wednesday’s game, should play more minutes while Duop Reath slides into the back end of the rotation.

With Mark Williams set to miss months after shoulder surgery, the Suns reportedly add another frontcourt option. Reath appeared in 32 games for the Trail Blazers last season before the Hawks acquired him ahead of the February trade deadline, and Atlanta waived him shortly after. Reath played just 8.1 minutes per game in Portland before undergoing foot surgery in January. While healthy, his prospects for achieving fantasy relevance in Phoenix aren’t much better. Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro will be Williams’ primary replacements, with Ighodaro starting 24 games last season.

Re-signed to a two-way contract earlier in July, Brea showed off the perimeter shooting ability that made him a second-round pick in the 2025 draft. He shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc on Monday, rebounding from a poor showing on Sunday, when Brea was 1-of-11 from the field overall and 0-of-7 from three. Brea appeared in just 12 NBA games as a rookie, with most of his reps coming in the G League. He’ll look to earn a longer NBA look when the Suns open training camp in the fall.

The second-year man out of Kentucky appeared in 12 games for Phoenix as a rookie and erupted for a 20 points in the season finale against Oklahoma City. He’s unlikely to see enough run in Year 2 to warrant consideration in fantasy basketball leagues.

Williams played a career-best 61 games last season, though he ended up missing the entirety of the Suns’ first-round series against the Thunder and only played in one of their two play-in games. However, he was still effective when he was on the floor, and Phoenix likely won’t let the 24-year-old walk for cheap. He should be penciled in as their starting center for next season, though Khaman Maluach’s development could alter the Suns’ stance on how much their willing to match on an offer sheet for Williams. Brea was a summer league standout in 2025 and will likely play for the Suns’ squad again, though he is likely still far off from being a rotational player for them.

The summer league star hasn’t played much during his rookie season, but with the Suns locked in as the seventh seed, he played 29 minutes off the bench, which led to the best offensive performance of his career. Brea showed a ton of scoring potential this summer, which is why Phoenix added him with the 41st pick. He likely won’t see the floor during the postseason, but this was an encouraging performance for him.

Atlanta acquired Reath as part of the deal that sent Vit Krejčí to Portland, but Reath had been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing season-ending surgery on a stress fracture in his right foot prior to the trade. He won’t stick around in Atlanta, and he likely won’t find a new home until he heals up.