Before the trade deadline passed this season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets agreed to a deal that would have sent big man Mark Williams to L.A. in exchange for a package of valuable assets.
However, after the deadline passed, the deal fell apart. The Lakers failed Williams on his physical, resulting in the trade being rescinded.
While the Hornets are disputing the voided trade, the most likely outcome is that the deal will remain dead. Former NBA executive John Hollinger doesn’t think that’s such a bad thing for the Lakers.
“L.A.’s nuked deal for Mark Williams sets back the Lakers’ short-term ceiling, but it was likely a dodged bullet,” Hollinger wrote for The Athletic. “The oft-injured big man could have helped their playoff run this year if healthy, but L.A. was likely finishing games with Dorian Finney-Smith at center either way. The Lakers should be better off taking an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and swaps in 2030 and 2032 into the summer market to hunt for more impressive prey. And unlike this year, L.A. will have plentiful expiring money to sprinkle into summer 2025 trades.”
Hollinger’s thoughts appear to be very similar to how a Lakers source views the situation.
“That was a lot [to give up],” a Lakers source told ESPN recently. “We kind of dodged a bullet.”
The deal would have sent rookie Dalton Knecht, sixth-year pro Cam Reddish, an unprotected first-round pick and a future pick swap to Charlotte in exchange for Williams. The Lakers were willing to give up a lot to acquire some help at a position of need.
The unfortunate side of the coin for L.A. is that the team will now remain extremely thin in the frontcourt, something that could feasibly be the team’s downfall in the postseason.
A healthy Williams would have been a big help. This season, he has averaged a near double-double, posting 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He’s only in his third NBA season.
But on the bright side, the Lakers now get their assets back. They just have to hope that Knecht and Reddish are able to process everything that has happened and refocus as they move forward with the Purple and Gold.
Of course, there is still a chance that Charlotte’s dispute of the voided trade will turn this whole situation on its head again, but in all likelihood, the Lakers will have to use the offseason to address their frontcourt needs for the future.
They did just sign big man Alex Len in a move that could provide a little bit of help in the frontcourt this season.
