Right after engaging in the shocking Austin Reaves-Luka Doncic trade, the Lakers made it clear that they weren’t done yet! Only a few days later, Shams Charania revealed that the LA franchise’s front office traded star rookie Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets! That was not all, as the Lakers also traded Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap. All for just one player: center Mark Williams. However, a recent update has now put the trade in jeopardy. With the situation still in its early stages, even JJ Redick is not at liberty to divulge too many details.

JJ Redick was questioned about the health of Austin Reaves and Mark Williams after the Lakers’ 124-117 win against the Indiana Pacers. Despite suffering from a left elbow contusion, Reaves had dropped a career-high 45 points against the Pacers. The exertion had its toll, as Redick stated, “Uh, Austin will be questionable. He banged his elbow. He’s going to go out and try to give it a go in his warm-ups and shooting, and we’ll have an answer soon.” In regards to the newly acquired player, Redick only stated, “Uh, Mark, the trade is still pending, so no answer there.” Unfortunately, the head coach did not choose to go into too much detail. When asked how the recent trade complication will pan out, he capped his response in a few words: “That’s…. that’s out of my pay grade”.

Almost 3 days after Shams Charania broke the trade news, he took to X to report that the “Mark Williams/Dalton Knecht trade has been rescinded”. The ESPN analyst expanded upon the same by revealing that Williams’ physical with the Lakers showed multiple issues. The presence of these issues was enough for the player fail in the exam.

It is no secret that Mark Williams is someone who is quite ‘injury-prone’. Since the Charlotte Hornets recruited him as the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, his health struggles have limited his appearances. During his rookie season, Williams played in only 43 games because of a thumb ailment, that was eventually treated via surgery. On top of that, Williams also sustained an ankle sprain. During the 2023–24 season, a back issue limited his appearances to only 19 games. In the ongoing season, the player’s back and foot problems caused him to only play 23 games till now. Shams Charania reported that Mark Williams’ back was not among the issues that came up during the physical. Unfortunately, with Redick not going into too much detail, it’s hard to know the true reason behind the Center failing the physical.

Not being able to acquire Mark Williams would send the Lakers’ front office spiraling. After all, he was the solution to filling the gap of a Center player left by Anthony Edwards’ trade. Despite his limited appearances this season, Williams made up for it after averaging 16 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists with the Charlotte Hornets. While Dalton Knecht was a beast on the offensive front, Luka Doncic’s acquisition ensured that the Lakers would be well covered on that front. Therefore, this trade was much more well-received than the team’s previous one, with Rob Pelinka even earning praise from social media users. Unfortunately, all that planning and effort now seems to have gone down the drain because of a mistake. Which is a shame, since JJ Redick seemed prepared to welcome the Center into the Lakers squad.

JJ Redick suggested Mark Williams’ acquisition would have been the perfect blend

Believe it or not, JJ Redick and Mark Williams go back a long way. The Lakers head coach had previously served as a mentor to the Hornets player, given that they both originate from Duke University. As the young star was coming out of the draft process, he had conversations with Redick about the NBA, agents, etc. Therefore, after the trade news was confirmed, the Lakers HC was more than willing to expand that mentor-mentee relationship.

“Gotten really good feedback through the years on his character and his intelligence level, and I watched him develop and just a big fan of his” Redick revealed. “And did a little bit of, well, did a lot of leg work in preparation for an interview that never happened going into his last year, so was very familiar with him, and just feel like he’s a really good fit for now. He’s a really good fit for the future.”

Losing out on the acquisition would certainly be a disappointment. After all, it will be up to the head coach now to decide who can take the lead on the defensive front. Fortunately, with Dalton Knecht now returning, the team would be more than bolstered on the offensive front, providing the HC some relief.