The Los Angeles Lakers thought they had acquired their new starting center when they completed a trade with the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the deadline for Mark Williams.
It came at a steep price as the Lakers gave up Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 unprotected first round pick, but many pundits thought it was worth it considering the team was in dire need of a center after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
Ultimately though, the trade ended up being rescinded after the Lakers found issues with Williams’ physical. The big man has already dealt with back, knee and ankle injuries in his young career, and the Lakers obviously did not feel comfortable following through with the deal after they got him in their building.
With that, Williams was sent back to Charlotte while Knecht, Reddish and the assets went back to L.A.
The saga was not done there, however, as reports came out that the Hornets were trying to challenge the league’s decision to rescind the trade. That left the players in limbo for even longer as Knecht was with the Lakers for their game against the Utah Jazz on Monday night but did not suit up. He then played on Wednesday though and represented the Lakers during the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend.
At his annual All-Star weekend press conference, NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the Hornets are not actually protesting, so the case is essentially closed.
“No. Charlotte has not filed a protest of any kind,” Silver said.
Now that this saga is over, the Lakers can focus on the rest of the season and how they can compete for a championship with the roster they have in place. Even though it would be nice to have another starting center in place, the Lakers have been playing at an extremely high level in recent weeks and feel they can compete with anyone once they build some more chemistry.
It’s likely awkward for guys like Williams and Knecht going back to their former teams, but it’s understandable why the Lakers did not want to give up so many valuable assets for a center that has so many injury concerns.
Outside of Jaxson Hayes though, L.A. did not have a full-time center on the roster with Williams no longer being added. They didn’t take long to address that though, bringing in Alex Len after he was waived by the Washington Wizards
Lakers feel they ‘dodged bullet’ by rescinding Mark Williams trade
It’s unclear what the Lakers found when they gave Mark Williams a physical, but reports indicate the organization feels it ‘dodged a bullet’ by not following through with a trade for the Hornets center.
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