The Los Angeles Lakers have a new problem post-trade deadline, as a trade they made with the Charlotte Hornets that saw them acquire center Mark Williams in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and a first-round pick has been rescinded by the Lakers, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Lakers reverse Mark Williams acquisition due to a failed physical
Charania noted that the reason for the reversal had to do with Williams’ physical. He cited that the medical exam showed “multiple issues” that the Lakers were previously unaware of and failed his physical, thus nullifying the trade as it was made on the condition of passed physicals.
Charania added that the issues were unrelated to his pre-existing back problems, which the Lakers were already aware of prior to making the trade. The exact issues that the Lakers saw in the physical have not been made public.
With the deadline having already passed, amending the trade is no longer possible, meaning that Williams will now return to the Hornets and Knecht and Reddish will head back to Los Angeles. Charlotte released a statement Saturday night welcoming back the 23-year-old center.
“We are excited to welcome back Mark to our Hornets organization. After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him. We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic, and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court,” the statement from the Hornets read.
The Lakers are now left with very little center depth
This reversal will have a massive ripple effect on the Lakers, who initially acquired Williams after needing to address the center position following the blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis. Now, the Lakers only have Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood as their centers the rest of the way unless they sign a free agent center.
Despite the injury trouble, Williams would have had a major impact in the Lakers’ starting five. In 23 games with the Hornets this season, he is averaging 15.6 points with 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Additionally, the Lakers now will have a guard jam on the roster with Knecht returning. Los Angeles now has four guards on the roster to split playing time with, as along with Doncic and Knecht, they also have Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent who they will need to find consistent minutes for. Reaves scored a career-high 45 points in Saturday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, a game that didn’t feature both Doncic and LeBron James.
How the Lakers proceed from here remains to be seen, but their strategy for the rest of the season is going to look a lot different than initially anticipated after a significant trade fell through.