The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers will be intertwined for the foreseeable future following their rescinded trade revolving around Mark Williams and Dalton Knecht. Fittingly, the two teams met in the NBA's first post-2025 All-Star break clash.
Despite exploratory talks with the league to dispute the Lakers' decision to revoke, Charlotte hasn't taken any formal action against the Lakers. Nonetheless, Williams and the Hornetsexercised some demons in their 100-97 victory over Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena, though they didn't scratch the itch entirely.
Los Angeles nullified their swap with Charlotte for Williams because the talented yet oft-injured young center failed a physical. However, the validity of the diagnosis has been called into question, specifically by the player's representation. His agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, publicly challenged the Lakers' findings. With that in mind, conspiracy theorists have come out of the woodwork, with one focused on the purple and gold's prize deadline acquisition Luka Doncic.
My tinfoil hat theory is that Pelinka thought getting Luka a center quickly might get him to commit to signing an extension. Then backed out on the Williams deal by failing him on the physical when it became clear Luka wasn’t committing to anything anytime soon. https://t.co/MgC9d2LkgH
— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) February 20, 2025
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Did the Lakers axe Mark Williams trade after failure to appease Luka Doncic?
Dallas Basketball's Dalton Trigg suggests Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka tried adding Williams to satisfy his new organizational centerpiece. Doncic can become a free agent after next season, so the Los Angeles exec tried taking matters into his own hands.
Pelinka saw an opportunity to sell Doncic on inking a lucrative contract extension as soon as possible. Yet, Williams' medical history presented an escape route to reverse the trade after the five-time All-NBA floor general didn't reactingly rush to commit to L.A.
It's not entirely far-fetched, though we'll confidently shoot down this hypothesis for multiple reasons. First, ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted that Doncic "handpicked" Williams as a desired target. Then, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein cited how the ex-Dallas Mavericks icon was "impressed by how swiftly" the front office tried to appease him ($).
Doncic wanted Williams and commended Pelinka for working diligently to make it happen. Why wouldn't that make him feel better about his future in Los Angeles? What sudden and abrupt news could've prompted such a drastic change of heart? We're not buying it, especially since two highly credited journalists revealed the information regarding the matter.
Nevertheless, speculation surrounding Doncic's long-term standing with the Lakers looms largely over their plans this upcoming offseason, but they won't include Williams.