3 reasons Mark Williams is a perfect fit for the Lakers, 3 reasons he's not

Basketball fans have never seen an NBA trade deadline like this. The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic and tilted the league on its axis, setting off a flurry of major moves that even tested Shams Charania as he struggled to keep up.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is the clear winner of the deadline, and he didn't stop at "just" getting Doncic. Late Wednesday night, he also secured Mark Williams from the Hornets, a player that Lakers fans hope will be able to fill the gargantuan hole left under the basket by Anthony Davis' departure.

Doncic, a 25-year-old superstar, reset the Lakers timeline to ensure that they could survive and prosper even after LeBron James retires one day. Pelinka could have stopped there, content in securing L.A.'s future. He didn't though, and the move for Williams is like a giant neon sign telling the rest of the league that the Lakers aren't just planning for the future — they're going for it right now.

In traveling from Charlotte to L.A., Williams will bring with him enormous upside, but also tremendous risk. This is a huge swing for Pelinka, one that could blow up in his face just as easily as it could result in another NBA title. Let's look at the pros and cons of trading for the 7-foot former Hornet.

Pro: Mark Williams is the lob threat that Luka Doncic needs

The Lakers could have pursued many different types of centers at the deadline. They could have gone for an older vet that does a solid job and nothing more, someone like Jonas Valanciunas. They could have gone for someone that could stretch the floor, like Myles Turner. They could have went after someone that could have supercharged their offense but at the expense of their defense, like Nikola Vucevic.

In the end, Rob Pelinka decided that he valued youth, athleticism, and upside. Williams is only 23 years old, so he could be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. He's extremely athletic, with the longest standing reach in the NBA (yes, his 9-foot-9 standing reach even beats Victor Wembanyama). He's a dynamic above-the-rim finisher, which will perfectly meld with the passing ability of Doncic and James.

Williams has never attempted a three-pointer in his professional career. That's not his game. He's going to stay by the basket and protect the rim on defense, and shoot a high percentage on lobs and putbacks on offense.

Doncic gets a lot of credit for the Lakers landing Williams, as he reportedly told the team that he preferred to play with the kinds of centers he had in Dallas. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II (who, like Williams, is a former Duke Blue Devil) are both athletic lob threats, and they were key in helping Doncic and the Mavs get to the Finals last year.

Trading for Williams not only shows Doncic that the Lakers want to make him happy, it ensures that a cohesive, well-thought-out roster will be on the floor each night.

Con: The best ability is availability, and Mark Williams hasn't been able to stay on the court

This is Mark Williams' third year in the NBA. Out of a possible 214 games, he's played in only 84.

Williams has dealt with back issues, ankle sprains, and a broken foot during his time in the league, but those injuries haven't required surgery. The Lakers have of course done their due diligence on his medical history, and are reportedly not worried about his health going forward.

Still, it's a bit scary to give up two rotation players, a first-round pick and a pick swap for someone that might not even be able to stay on the court. If Williams does go down, L.A. will be right back where they started, only this time it would be too late to do anything about it.

If there's a positive, it's that the Lakers have to feel good about their medical staff, as even Anthony Davis, who picked up a reputation during his career for being injury prone, missed very little time the past two seasons.

Pro: Mark Williams is young, cheap, and under contract through next year

The NBA's punitive salary cap measures make it difficult to have too many big-money players. The days of the "Big Three" are all but gone, and with James and Doncic soaking up so much of the cap, the fact that Williams is making just over $10 million between this year and next is a huge boon. Austin Reaves is also on a team-friendly contract, which is why L.A. is now able to field one of the most formidable starting lineups in the league.

Inheriting Williams' relatively small contract allows the Lakers to stay under the second apron. They're currently about $3.8 million under, which even gives them wiggle room to explore the buyout market to add one more player (which they'll need to do since they're now down a man after giving up two players for Williams).

By time Williams' contract runs out, there's a chance that James will be retired, which will open up the purse strings if he proves in the next year and change that he's the Lakers' long-term solution at center. For now, he could be one of the best bargains in the league.

Con: Though Mark Williams is able to make spectacular defensive plays, his inconsistency at that end of the court is a huge downgrade from Anthony Davis

Williams has really shown off his offensive game since New Year's. In that time, he's averaging over 18 points per game, and he's even had a couple of 30-point efforts in there. As much as he's succeeded on the offensive end though, he's given most of it back defensively through a combination of poor effort and bad positioning.

Williams has all the tools that teams look for in a game-changing defensive player. We've talked about his length and athleticism, but those things don't matter if you don't hustle and don't read the floor. Lakers fans will remember the 42-23 game that Anthony Davis put up almost two weeks ago. That came at Williams' expense.

Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls and Daniel Gafford of the Mavs had a field day against Williams in recent matchups, and it's an issue he's going to have to fix if the Lakers hope to get past Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets or Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies in the playoffs.

Every once in a while, Williams will throw an opposing shot into the third row. Those kinds of plays make the highlight reels, but they don't win games if you're getting beaten the rest of the time. Could Williams' inconsistency defensively come from playing for the hapless Hornets? The Lakers hope so. Anthony Davis was a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Williams doesn't have to be that, but he needs to at least be solid.

Pro: Mark Williams and JJ Redick have history together

They say it's better to be with the devil you know than the devil you don't, and in the case of this trade, it's the literal truth. Both Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Williams are former Duke Blue Devils, and according to ESPN insider Dave McMenamin, the two had a mentor/mentee relationship when the latter was in Durham.

Redick has proven himself already in his first year to be a demanding but player-friendly coach. Bringing in a player that he already has a good relationship with should lessen the "feeling-out" process that often occurs when a player comes to a new team. Redick knows what Williams can do because he's seen him up close, and Williams knows what he's getting with Redick.

Chemistry is so important on a basketball team. Only five guys share the court at once, and if they don't see eye-to-eye, it's just not going to work, especially if they're not on the same page as their coach, either.

Lakers fans are understandably excited about all of the recent moves the team has made, but as good as this team looks to be on paper, it's only natural that it will take some time until everyone is operating at peak efficiency together. Luckily, Doncic and James' relationship and respect for one another should ease that transition, as should Redick and Williams' history. It may not happen immediately, but this machine should be humming by time the playoffs roll around.

Con: The Lakers just gave up most of their flexibility

Being an NBA general manager is like being a gunslinger in the Wild West. You're standing outside the saloon with the dust swirling around you, and although you know you need to win the gunfight that's about to go down, you only have so many bullets to work with.

The Lakers were lauded for attaching only Max Christie and one first-round pick to Anthony Davis in order to bring Doncic aboard, but their chamber is nearly empty after trading for Williams. Dalton Knecht was the team's first-round pick this past year, and though he's been mostly quiet lately, the upside he flashed earlier in the season can't be ignored. Cam Reddish wasn't an impact guy, but he's still a preferable option to someone like Bronny James.

The Lakers now only have first-round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030 (they technically have their 2027 pick but only if it lands in the top-four, which seems extremely unlikely). This means that they can't trade any of those picks for another player down the line due to the Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from trading future first-round picks in back-to-back years.

L.A. will get another player on the buyout market, but they're more or less locked in to this team for the foreseeable future. They need to hope that Williams proves worth it.