Unfortunately, the Lakers pursuit of trading for a star big man before the trade deadline has fallen to pieces, as this weekend it has been confirmed that the deal that brought Mark Williams to Los Angeles has rescinded. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Charlotte center failed the purple and gold physical exam.
Sources suggested that the physical evidenced multiple issues, as the player has had health issues in the past. The Hornets player has only played in 85 out of a possible 212 matches during his two-years-and-a-half in North Carolina.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka was convinced that the player would pass the medical exams when the trade was agreed upon, but they knew that the trade would only be possible after this. “We fully vetted his health stuff, led by Dr. Kris Jones at UCLA Health and Dr. Leroy Sims on our team, and he’s had no surgeries.
BREAKING: The Mark Williams/Dalton Knecht trade between the Hornets and the Lakers has been rescinded due to Hornets’ failure to satisfy a condition of the trade pic.twitter.com/qwniCa6yOJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 9, 2025
“So these are just parts of, he’s still growing into his body,” the executive said. “We vetted the injuries he’s had, and we’re not concerned about those. We will have a chance to have a physical and continue to do a deep dive and make sure that what we’ve talked about and seen in the [electronic medical records]. … So we’ll still have that step in the process of doing a full physical before the trade becomes official.”
The trade’s return meant that rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap, plus a purple and gold 2031 first-round pick were heading to Charlotte. The negotations had been agreed upon on Wednesday night, but became official until Thursday, the day of the deadline.
After the deal rescinded, the Hornets posted a statement in which they admit to feeling “excited” to have Williams back in the team. “After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him,” the club said.
Charlotte then added: “We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic, and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court.”
