After the Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world with their blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, Rob Pelinka and Co. pulled off a second blockbuster prior to the NBA trade deadline, acquiring center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
The deal was supposed to feature the Lakers sending Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a first-rounder, and a pick swap to Charlotte in exchange for the talented 23-year-old center. However, several days later, the trade was rescinded. What happened?
Why the Lakers-Hornets Trade Fell Through
Williams failed his physical with the Lakers, which is what caused the front office to back out of the trade.
ESPN’s Shams Charania noted that Williams’ troublesome back was not the reason for the failed physical — rather, he’s dealing with “multiple issues” that scared the Lakers off.
Mark Williams' physical with the Lakers showed multiple issues and the team failed him on the exam, sources tell ESPN. The physical was not failed due to his back, however. https://t.co/lY4XrSIlHf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 9, 2025
It’s extremely rare for a team to rescind a trade, so it speaks to the level of concern that the Lakers had about Williams’ ailments, particularly since the trade deadline had passed and they couldn’t pivot to other center options.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne weighed in on Los Angeles’ shocking decision.
“Teams do not like to cancel trades, especially those as significant as the Lakers-Charlotte trade for Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht,” Shelburne posted. “But LA gave up a lot to get Williams, they needed to feel confident he’d be healthy enough to be their starting center for the next 5-10 years. After a “thorough” evaluation of his health, they were not.”
The Hornets aren’t happy about the Lakers’ decision, as they have been in contact with the NBA and may “explore options to dispute” the Lakers’ failed physical assessment of Williams, according to Charania.
The Charlotte Hornets have been in contact with the NBA as they explore options to dispute the Los Angeles Lakers' failed physical assessment of Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN. The Williams/Dalton Knecht trade was nixed Saturday, and now Hornets weigh avenues to challenge.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2025
Rescinding a trade certainly makes things a bit awkward for the players involved in the deal since they have to return to their original team, but it’s also bad news for the Lakers given the state of their frontcourt.
After trading Anthony Davis, Los Angeles’ biggest weakness is its frontcourt. At full strength, their options are Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, Christian Koloko, and Maxi Kleber. However, their current depth chart lists wing Dorian Finney-Smith as the backup five behind Hayes.
There are rumblings that the Lakers may sign free agent center Alex Len, who backed out of his agreement with the Indiana Pacers once the Williams trade was rescinded. But even still, the drop-off from Hayes and Len is massive.
This season, Williams is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 58.6% shooting. He is the exact kind of big man who thrives alongside Doncic and James as a lob threat.
Meanwhile, Hayes is averaging 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a block for the Lakers this season. Len has averaged 1.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 7.2 minutes across 36 games with the Sacramento Kings.
Mark Williams Will Face Off Against Lakers
The NBA is back from the All-Star break on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and there’s only one game on the schedule: the Hornets at the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
Most teams get six days off for the All-Star break, but the Lakers and Hornets are playing a make-up game on Wednesday night. This contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 9, but it was postponed until tonight due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Now, Williams will have a chance to face off against the team that he nearly joined. Also, all eyes will be on Dončić, as this is his first Lakers game without a minute restriction.
With just a two-game sample size of the Dončić era in Los Angeles, there are plenty of moving pieces for this game. Comparing the two games before the All-Star break against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers’ production patterns are interesting.
- Two of their 11 highest increases in pace over expectation
- Their 11th most efficient offensive game vs expectations (+10.2%)
- Their fourth-worst defensive effort of the season (opponent offensive rating was 16.1% over their season average)
In the eight quarters they’ve played since the seismic trade, the point totals by quarter have been 62-57-56-70 and 63-57-70-60, respectively.
LeBron James one-legged fade.
Luka Dončić one-legged fade.A mirror image for the Lakers superstar duo 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/svH9a0xXlO
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2025
In those games, Dončić has totaled only 47 minutes, but Los Angeles has posted two of its five highest 3PA totals — if this is a more comfortable spot for a team that is seemingly willing to launch triples, it’ll be very interesting to see how this game could look.