Mark Williams Staying Away From Hornets After Lakers Trade Rescinded

February 16, 2025 ,


Seems like the LA Lakers aren't the only ones disappointed that their trade for center Mark Williams fell through 10 days ago due to medical concerns. The 7-foot center himself is a bit distraught apparently, and still hasn't returned to the Charlotte Hornets. 

“It's believed that the Hornets are giving Williams time to readjust to being back with the team," said Hornets beat writer Rod Boone. The team has not filed a protest over the Lakers rescinding the trade.

And the crazy thing is, Charlotte's first game back after the All-Star break this Wednesday is against... the Los Angeles Lakers. It's anybody's guess as to whether Williams will be back for that matchup against his almost-teammates.

Dalton Knecht, who was dealt from LA to Charlotte in that deal, is back with the Lakers, and says he feels like he was "in a movie."

“Unlike Knecht, who saw action Wednesday night against the Jazz in Utah after not playing on Monday despite being active for Luke Doncic’s Los Angeles debut, Williams remained away," said Boone, "undoubtedly to give the 7-footer more time to mentally process the whirlwind.

"While the Hornets have been in contact with the NBA, appealing to see whether anything can be done in regard to the deal, league sources confirmed to The Observer, they await Williams’ return.”

The fact that Williams's medicals torpedoed the trade is not overly surprising. The 7-foot, 240-pounder has been out for huge swaths of time in his three-year career due to a series of foot injuries and other issues. 

He's played only 84 games total across his three seasons in the NBA, suffering from numerous foot problems, along with thumb and back injuries as well. 

Williams has played just 23 games this season. He got into just 19 games last year and 43 in his rookie season after being selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

To put into perspective how much time he's missed, Williams has actually played a lower percentage of his team's games than Zion Williamson has. Yikes. 

After going through the Anthony Davis injury trials & tribulations for six seasons, is that really something the Lakers needed to take on to replace him? 

When he has been on the court, Williams has been very good, with a career-high of 15.6 points per game this season. He also has averaged 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots.  

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