The Los Angeles Lakers‘ trade for center Mark Williams, their second biggest move at the NBA trade deadline after their Luka Dončić blockbuster, has been rescinded, the team announced Saturday.
No reason was given beyond there being a “failure to satisfy a condition of the trade.”
The deal acquiring Williams sent rookie Dalton Knecht and forward Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets, along with a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.
The Lakers needed a big man after trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the package for Dončić and the 7-footer fit the bill nicely. Williams fit the profile of the kind of center Dončić told the Lakers he preferred to play with, a mobile big who can set screens, create spacing and catch lob passes on offense.
Unfortunately, the team is now short-handed on the frontline again with Jaxson Hayes currently the only center listed on L.A.’s roster.
Williams had been limited to 23 games this season due to a foot injury that sidelined him for 20 games. Injuries have been an issue for him throughout his three NBA seasons, including issues with his left ankle, right thumb and back.
Usually when trades are rescinded like this, it’s because at least one of the players involved failed a physical. With Williams’ injury history, it was reasonable to assume that’s what happened here.
That was soon confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reported that Williams’ physical “showed multiple issues.” Yet none of them concerned his back.
In his 23 games with the Hornets, Williams has averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He was Charlotte’s first-round selection (No. 15 overall) in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Duke and seemed to be a perfect fit as a lob threat alongside Dončić, similar to how the Slovenian superstar operated with another former Duke big man in Dereck Lively II with the Mavericks.
The trade could not be amended because the NBA trade deadline passed on Thuersday at 3 p.m. ET. Prior to that, some deals were changed when conditions changed or new information became available, such as the Philadelphia 76ers adding a second-round pick with Caleb Martin in a deal with the Mavericks.
But now, Knecht and Reddish are going back to L.A., knowing the team chose to part with them. However, the team’s big man rotation suddenly looks questionable for Dončić’s purposes with Williams returning to Charlotte. (The Hornets also acquired center Jusuf Nurkic to replace Williams.) The 2031 first-rounder will also go back to the Lakers and the 2030 pick swap is voided.
