The Los Angeles Lakers continued what was already one of the most consequential weeks in franchise history by acquiring center Mark Williams in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday night.
L.A. agreed to send rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Williams, sources told Charania, landing the big man that vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka admitted the team was lacking heading into Thursday’s trade deadline.
Williams, listed at 7-0, 240 pounds, fits the profile of the mobile big man and lob threat that new Lakers star Luka Doncic prefers to play alongside. Doncic met with Lakers brass Monday and impressed upon them his desire to have that type of center on the roster, sources said, believing a big man who provides vertical spacing at the rim gives him another option when making his offensive reads.
Williams averaged 16 points on 59.7% shooting and 9.8 rebounds for the Hornets this season.
The Lakers view Williams, 23, as an answer at starting center right now and someone who can progress on the same timeline as the 25-year-old Doncic, sources said.
The third-year veteran also has previous ties to Lakers coach JJ Redick, with the two connecting while Williams played at Duke University, Redick’s alma mater. A source described the dynamic of their relationship as that of a mentor and mentee.
In the past four days, L.A. parted with two first-round picks and key rotation players in Anthony Davis, Max Christie and Knecht in order to land a franchise cornerstone in Doncic and Williams in a big-man-hungry trade market. With the two additions, the Lakers revamped the team’s future while staying in win-now mode with 40-year-old superstar LeBron James still showing he can take over games in his 22nd season.
A Lakers source told ESPN that the team’s deadline approach was “aggressive.”
One knock on Williams early in his career has been availability. He has played in 84 out of a possible 212 games through his first two and a half seasons with the Hornets (39.6%). Los Angeles is confident in his medicals, sources told ESPN, and Williams’ recent back and foot injuries never required surgery, sources said.
L.A. is still equipped with one second-round pick it can trade before the deadline. By completing the two-for-one trade with Charlotte, the Lakers also opened up a roster spot that will allow them to pursue a player on the buyout market.
The Lakers could prioritize playmaking or 3-point shooting with Knecht’s departure. Knecht, L.A.’s No. 17 pick in June, was praised by Redick for his shooting talent and enjoyed a hot start to the season: Five of his six games this season with four or more 3-pointers came in November.
