The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Hornets big man Mark Williams. The 23-year-old center nearly uprooted his entire life following a trade to the Lakers on the February 6 trade deadline. Unfortunately, the Lakers rescinded the trade because Williams failed his physical.
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As a result, many began discussing what this means for the Lakers going forward. However, former NBA star Dwight Howard is more concerned about Williams’ well-being.
Los Angeles didn’t want Williams for no reason. He is an intriguing young talent and has shown flashes of the player he can become this season. Williams is currently having the best season of his career, averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He’s also shooting an impressive 58.1% from the field.
On the Above The Rim with DH 12 Podcast, Howard couldn’t ignore the mental toll the situation must’ve had on Williams. He spoke about how the situation isn’t an enviable one to be in, speaking on how both teams involved in the trade have made it clear they don’t want Williams.
The 2020 champion said, “I know everybody is talking about all that’s going on but think about the psyche of this young player. This man just got traded to the Lakers then all of a sudden they said, ‘Hell, your physical is messed up, we don’t want you.'”
“Then he goes back to the team that he was on and they’re like, ‘Hey bro, we don’t really want you neither dog, stay home,'” he continued.
The conversation began when Howard’s crew accused the Hornets of trying to finesse the Lakers in the proposed trade. Reports revealed Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka didn’t approach the Hornets for Williams, it was the other way around. Therefore, many are led to believe that the Hornets were aware of William’s health concerns and wanted to offload him while they could.
Instead of engaging in this discourse, Howard diverted the conversation to show empathy on behalf of Williams. He sent a personal message to Williams reminding him that this situation shouldn’t reflect his worth as a player. The young big man still has the tools to prove every doubter wrong.
Latest updates on the rescinded Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht trade
The Lakers and Hornets are beginning to close the chapter to this unprecedented situation. Once the Lakers rescinded the trade there really was no going back. The decision was to the dismay of the Hornets, who took matters into their own hands.
The day after the Lakers rescinded the trade, the Hornets attempted to dispute Los Angeles’ decision with the NBA. Those conversations haven’t gone anywhere as all players involved will stay on their original teams.
This doesn’t rule out either team moving on from these players in the offseason. However, Knecht and Williams won’t have a new home for the duration of the 2024-25 NBA season.
