The Los Angeles Lakers have, as usual, been one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA lately. The shocking move that saw LA send Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic ignited an NBA trade deadline unlike another other. When the Lakers then traded for Hornets center Mark Williams, it seemed the team was doing everything it could to make a championship run this year.
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The Williams trade ended up being rescinded after he failed his physical. At first, it seemed like a real blow to the Lakers, who weren’t able to make another move of similar consequence, since the trade deadline had already passed by that point. As more details have emerged, though, it’s looking more and more like the Lakers got cold feet and found a way to back out.
Williams does have an extensive injury history that the Lakers were fully aware of, but he’s been healthy enough to play for a while now, and he’s been playing the best basketball of his young career. If he wasn’t healthy enough to pass his physical, how has he been able to do that? He even played 29 minutes in last night’s comeback win over the Lakers, which had to feel good after being jerked around for the last couple of weeks.
Williams’ agent Jeff Schwartz put the Lakers on blast with a statement today which is sure to add fuel to the fire.
Statement from Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management: “The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
Shots fired! Williams and the Hornets have already expressed bewilderment that the trade fell through, and now his agent is stating in no uncertain terms that the Lakers are guilty of malfeasance.
Where do the Lakers and Hornets go from here?
The commenters are already having a field day with this. One called the move, “Sketchy AF by the Lakers.” Another likened the Lakers team doctor to Dr. Nick from The Simpsons, who is known for being a quack. Yet another suggested that the league should force the trade through and give the Hornets an extra first-round pick as compensation.
The Hornets are now stuck with a player they tried to trade away and whose value has cratered due to the failed physical. The Lakers still have a massive hole at center and no realistic way to fill it this season.
The team signed Alex Len after the trade fell through, but he’s been a complete non-factor in two games. The incumbent trio of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko, and Trey Jemison III is subpar at best and catastrophic at worst compared to some of the intimidating front courts in the West, which calls into question why the Lakers would renege on the deal at all.
The Lakers can’t help but be messy. It’s the way they’ve always been. The entire league was already pissed at them for pulling off the Doncic trade in secrecy, now they have a real reason to be hated, whether it’s true that they tanked the Williams deal on purpose or not. Get your popcorn out for the rest of this season.
