Over the weekend, Los Angeles traded Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic. The Lakers acquired an All-NBA PG but lost their most effective frontcourt player.
Los Angeles was left with Jaxson Hayes as its starting center. Luka Doncic expressed a desire to play with a lob-threat big man, so early Thursday morning, the Lakers made a deal with the Hornets. They traded rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap to Charlotte for big man Mark Williams.
How effective will Mark Williams be with Luka Doncic?
Lakers are trading for a rising 7-foot-2 center, giving the franchise a starting center in Williams who fits the profile of athleticism and verticality that has flourished with Luka Doncic. Hornets land a rookie in Knecht they are excited about, and draft capital. https://t.co/BlzoawiLjR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis, they were left with a big void on their roster. Despite Davis being a PF, he was Los Angeles’ best frontcourt player. Rui Hachimura and himself were the starting PF and C. Los Angeles acquired Luka Doncic when they parted ways with Davis. While the team lost one of the best big men in the league, they did land a top-five player. We’ve seen how Doncic can elevate his teammates to new levels of success.
The Lakers considered this when they traded for Mark Williams. Charlotte selected him 15th overall in the 2022 draft out of Duke. Over three and a half seasons, Williams has played in 85 games, with 56 starts, for the Hornets. He is averaging (15.6) points, (9.6) rebounds, (2.5) assists, and (1.2) blocks. At seven-foot-two, Williams is going to for in nicely with a player like Luka Doncic.
In 2023-24, we saw Doncic elevate his teammates like Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively Jr. Both are traditional bigs who don’t shoot many jump shots. Instead, players like Doncic have the ball on a string and can always set someone up for an alley-oop. To acquire Mark Williams, the Lakers had to part ways with a key rookie. Dalton Knecht has been traded by the Lakers after 48 games. The three-point specialist is shooting (.358) percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25.
