Timme In, Reath Still Shaky — Phoenix's Backup Center Problem Isn't Solved

Phoenix made two moves at center this week: extended Oso Ighodaro through 2030-31 and claimed Drew Timme off waivers, where he's expected to slot into the team's final two-way spot. Busy few days. The position still looks thin.

The depth chart has Khaman Maluach at the top and Duop Reath behind him, and as I wrote back in September, Reath was always a fragile answer — signed to a non-guaranteed deal, never a sure thing. The gap between Maluach and whoever plays behind him remains the real issue. Reath's production sits well below what you'd want from a backup center, and Timme, whatever his upside, is coming in on a two-way contract, not a rotation guarantee.

Ighodaro is listed as a forward on this depth chart, which tells you something about how Phoenix actually uses him. The extension makes sense — hometown kid, team control, reasonable money — but he's not the fix at backup center. He's a different piece.

My read is that Phoenix heads into opening night having addressed the optics of the position without fully addressing the position. Timme could develop into something. Reath could stay healthy and prove September wrong. But right now, the backup center situation is one bad Maluach night away from being a real problem.