Certainly one of the most puzzling trades before the deadline came when the Lakers announced they had acquired Mark Williams from Charlotte, but the deal rescinded just two days after it was first confirmed. Reportedly, the Hornets big man had failed the purple and gold’s physical test.
The negotiations sent Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and a future first-round draft pick to North Carolina, but suddenly got called off. The Los Angeles squad cited multiple issues with the newcomer’s exam, as it failed to “satisfy a condition of the trade.” Since then, the Hornets have contacted the NBA to dispute this fact.
After this situation was cleared, all players involved in the deal have had to endure the awkwardness of returning to their former teams just 48 hours later. As Charlotte recently faced the L.A. team in the return of the All-Star break, Williams revealed that even he was shocked to hear the news about his physical.
Mark Williams after Hornets W vs. Lakers 😅
Williams and Dalton Knecht dapped up after the game pic.twitter.com/RRMgSTalv1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2025
“My agent told me [that the trade was rescinded],” Mark shared on Wednesday. “I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind. The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible.”
The Hornets center is convinced he’s healthy and strong. “Since I’ve been back since the start of the year, I’ve played games with a lot of minutes,” he assured. “I feel like every injury I’ve had has been well-documented and I’ve recovered and been 100% since. So, I don’t know what went into that decision. I think that’s up to them.”
An interesting play occurred during Wednesday’s match at the Crypto.com Arena, as LeBron James produced a powerful slam over Williams that seemed almost vengeful. However, the all-time NBA leading scorer guaranteed that there was no extra motivation or hard feelings behind the play.
“He was never a teammate. He never stepped into our locker room, and we never saw him,” the 40-year-old said postgame. “The trade went down, but we never met him. When it got rescinded, everything just went back to normal. It was no different.”
