The Los Angeles Lakers have made another surprising acquisition before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, landing 23-year-old Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and two first-round picks. It shows the team is already committing to building around Luka Doncic, with Williams fitting the archetype of center Doncic found success with on the Dallas Mavericks last season.
This trade might have sacrificed the potential of Knecht’s shooting next to two of the best perimeter creators in NBA history LeBron James and Luka. However, it takes a big bet that Mark Williams stays healthy after playing just 85 games through the first three seasons of his career. Otherwise, his skill set might be exactly what the new-look Lakers need.
Let’s take a look at the new Lakers rotation after completing this deal.
Starting Lineup
Starters: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Mark Williams
The Lakers might have filled the biggest hole on their roster with the acquisition of Mark Williams. Despite Rob Pelinka saying they might wait for the summer to address their hole at center after trading Anthony Davis, he’s moved fast to get Williams to be their center of the future. The 23-year-old is a mobile big who is a rim deterrent, an aggressive rebounder, and shines offensively with rim finishes.
Given how Doncic elevated Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in Dallas, this is a move that will fill everyone with optimism. It addresses the only major hole on their roster with arguably the best option they could’ve found on the trade market. Other linked bigs like Walker Kessler or Myles Turner don’t bring the same skillset as Williams, one which is proven to thrive alongside Doncic.
The rest of the lineup stays the same, as Reaves, Hachimura, and LeBron have been season-long starters for the Lakers. Reaves provides offensive versatility next to Doncic and could have a very productive two-man game with Luka based on Doncic’s success with high-scoring guards.
Hachimura’s biggest weakness, his rebounding, has been addressed by the presence of Williams, Luka, and LeBron. He needs to focus on being a plus-defender at the wing or he might be the only one at risk of losing his starting spot to the surging Dorian Finney-Smith.
Reserves
Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Shake Milton, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, Christian Wood, Bronny James, Trey Jemison (Two-Way), Christian Koloko (Two-Way), Armel Traore (Two-Way)
Not much changes about the outlook of the bench outside a clear lack of shooting specialists. None of the players on the bench are consistent 40% shooters, so there might be a major offensive issue that the second rotation could struggle to fulfill. The solution to this is to likely stagger Luka and LeBron to ensure one of the two is always on the court to maximize success.
Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt might as well be defensive specialists at this point given their subpar offensive contributions. Dorian Finney-Smith can be a highly productive shooter but has been streaky in LA, although reuniting with Luka Doncic could lead to a lot more success.
Christian Wood is injured right now but the Lakers might just be relying on him to get healthy and be a center option for all-offense lineups given he averaged over 17 points the last time he played alongside Doncic. Jaxson Hayes will be a more reliable option now alongside Doncic, as he can also run the floor and catch lobs at a decent clip.
It doesn’t seem like Shake Milton and Markieff Morris will provide playable value this season, while Maxi Kleber is already in trade talks considering he’s unlikely to play again in the regular season with a foot fracture.
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