The Lakers have exited the NBA playoffs after a hard-fought loss at home in Game 5 against the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves won the game by seven points as they beat the Lakers in LA with the final score 103-96. Mark Williams, the Hornets player who had his trade rescinded by the Lakers due to a failed medical exam, took to social media platforms to react after the Lakers lost at home.
On X, Williams simply tweeted a smiling emoji, indicating he is happy that the Lakers have lost this series.
🙂
— Mark Williams (@MarkWi1liams) May 1, 2025
On Instagram, he posted the famous “I stopped by my biggest haters’ funeral” meme to show his delight at seeing the Lakers’ downfall in the playoffs.
Mark Williams on IG celebrating the Lakers’ downfall: pic.twitter.com/aiCVP5lCW3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 1, 2025
The Lakers visibly needed a traditional center in this game as Rudy Gobert dominated on both ends of the floor. Gobert finished the game with 27 points and 24 rebounds. Therefore, the need for a conventional big man like Mark Williams became even clearer to the Lakers.
Why Mark Williams Is Unhappy With The Lakers
According to ESPN insider Ramona Shelbourne, when Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers, he asked the Lakers for a lob threat big in the paint. During his time with the Mavericks, Luka excelled while playing with lob threats like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Therefore, he was seeking an athletic big so that Luka can facilitate an inside-outside threat on offense for the Lakers.
In February 2025, during the trade deadline day, Mark Williams was traded to the Lakers for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and additional assets (2031 unprotected first round, 2030 pick swap right). The Lakers were willing to trade away their 2024 draft pick (Knecht) as well as the 2030 unprotected first-round pick. This shows that the Lakers were willing to trade away their future youth for a win-now young player like Mark Williams.
A few days later, the Lakers rejected the trade due to a failed medical exam by Mark Williams. They reversed the trade and brought Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish back into the team. This clearly did not sit well with Mark Williams. While the Lakers blamed the Hornets’ “failure to meet a condition in the trade”, the Hornets welcomed Williams back with open arms.
Later in February, Mark also voiced his own opinion about the real reason why the Lakers trade did not fall through. “You go from getting traded, thinking you’re going to LA, and then they choose to fail me on my physical… I don’t know if, for them, it was about what they gave up or what went into that reasoning, but I don’t think it was solely because of my physical”, he said.
It is evident that Mark Williams now wants to remind the Lakers what they gave up on and how it ended their championship ambitions for the season. If Williams was on the floor today, Gobert likely wouldn’t have as many rebounds and offensive putbacks as he did today since Williams has a higher standing reach (9ft 9in) than Victor Wembanyama (9ft 7in) and one of the longest wingspans in the NBA (7ft 6.5in). This would have helped the Lakers significantly, as they had no answer for Gobert today.
Do you think the Lakers regret sending Mark Williams back to the Hornets? Will they trade for another big man in the offseason? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
