Rob Pelinka must have taken Harvey Specter’s “Life is like this, and I like this” quote too close to heart. Cutting ties with Anthony Davis in one of the most shocking NBA trades of the last decade was not enough for the Lakers GM, as he made one final move before the trade deadline. And yes, it will come across as disheartening for many. But what about the bigger picture?

Shams Charania recently reported that the Los Angeles Lakers have traded Dalton Knecht! Yes, the DALTON KNECHT, the rookie who had won over Lakers fans with his streak of top offensive displays. That’s not all, as the Lakers are also trading Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap, to the Charlotte Hornets. All for just one player: center Mark Williams.

No, not the Mark Williams we have come to love and appreciate because of his role in the Harry Potter series. This Mark Williams is American, 23 years of age, and is establishing himself as a prominent name in the NBA community. The player is giving out his best performance this season, averaging 16 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

After Anthony Davis’ trade, the need was for a Center who could defend and rebound efficiently in LA. After all, while Luka Doncic may be a beast on the offensive front, he isn’t as efficient with his defense. Mark Williams may just be the player who fulfills the role left to be filled after AD’s exit.

For Lakers fans, this news is simply too much, though. Two major trades within the span of just a week? As expected, it didn’t take long for chaos to erupt in the comments section of Shams Charania’s post. Interestingly, the chaos was more positive than negative.

Fans sing praises of Rob Pelinka after Knecht – Williams trade: “He’s been cooking…”

A social media user made their feelings clear about the Dalton Knecht-Mark Williams exchange: “Lakers won the trade”. Some might argue that trading Knecht may not have been the right decision. Their opinions would be based on the fact that the rook had averaged 13.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists back in November. The same scoring average drops to 9.4 points when analyzing him overall, but it still is pretty good. The Lakers already improved on their offensive front by acquiring Luka. With the focus on defense now, Williams was the way to go! Any doubts on how the Lakers will handle things in defense after losing AD would have been cleared.

One individual gave out his praise towards the Lakers GM by writing, “I don’t know what switched for Rob Pelinka, but he’s been cooking since Saturday.” It’s not an easy task to get a franchise to give up their star player… Luka Doncic was exactly that for the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian had spent the last 6 years becoming the Mavs’ lead scorer and taking the team to new heights. Alongside Kyrie Irving, he even took the team to their first NBA Finals since 2011.

This was the same name whose presence indicated that he was going to be a one-team player for the rest of his career, like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. The fact that Rob Pelinka was able to negotiate a deal to get Luka only speaks well of him.

One social media user praised Mark Williams while also admitting to jumping to a conclusion earlier. He wrote, “I hated this trade at first but bro this guy is 23 and a f—–g demon. He’ll end up being a younger version of AD. (He also dropped 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks a couple days ago against Denver)”.

Mark Williams secured the score highlighted by the netizen while also guarding Nikola Jokic!

When describing his efforts at keeping the 3x MVP at bay, the then-Hornet gave credit to teamwork. He also added, “Obviously, he’s a talented player, but we gave him a bunch of different looks and just did what we can with him. We tried to make life difficult.” This is the mentality the Lakers squad would also be looking at going forward.

One individual indicated that good times are coming. After all, nothing else could have convinced him/her to write: “And the lakers are your 2025 nba champions”. Given their 29-19 record, the Lakers have set a good foundation from which they can launch a memorable playoff run. By strengthening the roster with the likes of Luka Doncic and Mark Williams, the team might even attempt a shot at the Larry O’Brien! The answer to whether they will be successful will only be answered in due course.Another social media user wrote, “Lakers won this trade. Opened up cap space and got a big. Also sent Knecht and Cam to teams they can play good with. The hornets a young team.” With Dalton Knecht, the Lakers held a salary cap of $199.8 million. Trading the rookie and Cam Reddish in exchange for Mark Williams would give the team a relief of a little more than a million dollars. This still puts them way over the luxury tax and apron limits. However, it is still a much-needed relief.

Furthermore, the restrictions that will come after going over the CBA limit will not matter if the current roster proves itself efficient! Overall, the majority of reactions were positive towards the trade. They were thinking more long-term. Rob Pelinka’s moves over the last few days may have finally shut his haters down. However, whether the same will last or not is something that remains to be seen.