2 weeks Ago
Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams is making good use of his summer thus far by throwing shade at the Lakers. In a series of posts on X, Williams answered questions as part of a Q&A he started. Two people asked questions regarding his "time with the Lakers," and he was as blunt as he could be.
One person asked Williams, "Why did the Lakers change their mind?" Williams responded, "Ask them." In another post, a fan asked him his favorite memory as a Laker." Williams responded with this meme.
In early February, the Lakers officially backed out of the trade for the Hornets center after he failed his physical. The team reportedly had concerns about long-term health issues, with their medical team identifying multiple red flags during the evaluation. It was later revealed that the Hornets may have withheld portions of Williams' medical history during the trade negotiations.
The Lakers cited the lack of transparency and the severity of what they found during their own physical as the main reasons for voiding the deal. The trade, originally agreed to on a Wednesday night, would have brought Williams to L.A.
in exchange for guard Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a future pick swap. Williams was expected to fill the starting center role following the Lakers’ blockbuster deal that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas in return for Luka Doncic. In the aftermath of the rescinded trade, the Lakers chose to ride out the season without a traditional big man anchoring the paint.
So far, that gamble has worked in their favor. The Lakers finished the season with a 50-32 record, which was good for the No. 3 seed in the West.
Even without a true and reliable big man, the Lakers have a great chance to represent their conference in the Finals and possibly win it all. The Hornets and Williams finished the season with a 19-63 record and have the third-best odds of winning the top pick in the NBA Draft. Williams finished the season playing in 44 games, averaging 15.
3 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.
2 blocks while shooting 60.4 percent from the field in 26.6 minutes of action.
The Lakers will likely find the big man they had been seeking this summer. More Lakers: Lakers' JJ Redick Uses Bronny James in New Role to Prepare for Playoffs Lakers' LeBron James Could be Dealing With Significant Injury Ahead of Playoffs Small Ball May Be Lakers’ Key to Deep Playoff Run Lakers to be Without Two Players for Playoffs For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI..
