The Mark Williams trade saga has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. The Los Angeles Lakers traded Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 first-round pick-swap, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets to land the young big man. However, a failed medical from Williams forced the trade to be rescinded, thus leaving the Lakers strapped at the center position.
Well, one Lakers player will be more upset than others about the trade falling apart. According to Dave McMenamin, the Los Angeles Lakers offered Luka Doncic a list of center options upon arrival. And Doncic handpicked Mark Williams out of the list for the Lakers to trade for. However, after the trade was rescinded, Doncic was understanding of the situation.
“Williams was a guy that Luka Doncic, when the Lakers brought some names to him that they could potentially pursue at center, he signed off on that name, he handpicked it. So after they rescinded the trade, I’m told by my sources, they explained to Luka why they had to do it and he understood it.”
There is no concrete information as to what caused the trade to be rescinded. The Lakers relayed to official channels that the trade was conditional, and one of the conditions was not met. Many are speculating that one of the conditions was a successful medical, which Williams was not able to complete, thus leading to the trade being rescinded.
The Charlotte Hornets put out a statement welcoming Williams back. Meanwhile, the Lakers will have to figure out a way to adapt without a starting-quality center for the rest of the season. This significantly impacts the Lakers’ chances at an NBA championship, as it is nearly impossible to compete with the best teams in the West without a competent big.
Williams Trade Is Very Confusing
Neither team has publically addressed the trade falling apart. However, Shams Charania is now reporting that the Charlotte Hornets are attempting to dispute the Los Angeles Lakers nixing the trade. They have approached the NBA for what their next course of action should be if they want to take any action against the Lakers going forward.
The Lakers will not be happy about losing their only starting-level center due to a failed medical. But what will make this loss a little easier is the fact that they will have a lot of really good assets for the offseason this year. Even if the Lakers don’t make a big splash in the playoffs this season, they can retool their roster around Doncic and LeBron.
The Hornets could make that process complicated if they try and challenge the decision and are successful, as the NBA would presumably penalize the Lakers by taking away one of their draft assets.
Regardless of what happens, Lakers fans will have mixed feelings about missing out on Mark Williams. On the one hand, he showed a lot of promise this season. However, if his injury issues were serious enough for the Lakers to rescind the trade, then they may have averted long-term disaster.
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