After their saga at the trade deadline this season, could the Lakers and Hornets agree to a Mark Williams trade again?
With the need for a center being the big, looming question over the summer for the Lakers, we’ll be taking a look at a number of potential targets, both via free agency or trade. Today, we start with Mark Williams.
The only thing more surprising than how swiftly the Lakers made a move for a young center during the season was how quickly it all went away.
When President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka spoke after the trade for Luka Dončić, he painted a grim picture of the trade market regarding available centers. So, when he completed a trade for Mark Williams just over 24 hours later, it was quite the surprise.
But not as surprising as the trade being rescinded three days after that.
Williams was a Laker unofficially for about 72 hours before the deal was called off over two days after the trade deadline. The Hornets were pretty clearly unhappy about it, but nothing came of their displeasure and both franchises went on to finish out their seasons.
However, with the chance to go back to the table, could the two teams restart negotiations and find an agreement on a deal?
How would he fit with the Lakers?
Well, the good news is that we had about 72 hours to figure this out, so there isn’t much new to dive into.
Williams is an athletic, lob-catching center who has a whole lot of potential. At the same time, he also, as we learned, has some pretty concerning injury concerns.
This season, Williams didn’t return to the court until after the All-Star break and played 21 of the Hornets’ final 29 games. Largely speaking, his absences were either attributed to his foot or rest, though it was also entirely likely Charlotte was just resting him so they could tank late in the year.
During his exit interview, he spoke about being healthy heading into the offseason as well.
“Health-wise, I’m in a great place,” said Williams during exit interviews. “Obviously, I finished the year. Besides the start of the season, I was playing every game besides the back-to-backs. [The foot] feels good. I’m fine – no issues there. After the All-Star Break, I was able to be in more and more of a rhythm and have some pretty good games at the end of the year.”
But it’s hard to imagine the Lakers’ concerns were necessarily about the short term, but instead the long term when it comes to Williams.
How much would the Lakers have to give up?
Conveniently, we also know where the line in the sand is for the Lakers. It’s definitely something less than Dalton Knecht, a first round pick and a pick swap!
In reality, I think two of those three things would probably be off the table. Would they do a straight swap of Knecht for Williams? Potentially. A first round pick for Williams? Potentially. The pick swap would just be a sweetener to any deal because, odds are, a Luka-led Lakers team will finish in a better position than the Hornets.
It feels most likely, then, that the trade would be built around Knecht and Williams.
How realistic of a target is he?
It’s important to note that, while the Lakers rescinded the trade in February, that wasn’t necessarily because they had zero interest in acquiring Williams. That was a result of the circumstances.
With the trade deadline having passed, the Lakers two options were either say yes to the deal or say no to the deal. It’s not uncommon for something to come up in medicals and physicals and for the teams to re-negotiate the deal. In this instance, that wasn’t possible.
Therefore, I think it’s entirely possible the Lakers give the Hornets a call to further discuss things. Now, there isn’t a trade deadline rushing things and the two sides could have longer conversations about where they stand.
The problem is, the Hornets certainly sounded like a team that felt pretty they got the short end of the stick. Williams’ trade value is obviously going to take a big dip after the Lakers backed out of the deal.
Do they want to return to the table and agree to a worse deal than they would have gotten four or five months ago? Do they have much of a choice?
Statistically, Williams was basically the exact same player in the second half of the season as he had been. Did that help restore some of that trade value?
Ultimately, it would be a surprise if Williams became a Laker again. But everything that has happened with Williams, the Lakers and the Hornets has been a bundle of surprises.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.