The Lakers’ trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Mavericks for superstar Luka Doncic was certainly made for its long-term impact, as GM Rob Pelinka made clear after the trade was finalized.
“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said, a week ago. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for this team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision that Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”
But in the short term, the trade left the Lakers with a pretty clear problem–they’re desperately lacking in size with Davis no longer on the roster. The team seemed to handle that problem, at least in part, with a second major trade that sent away budding star rookie Dalton Knecht and a future draft pick to Charlotte for big man Mark Williams.
The hope was that Williams could be the kind of big, cutting roll man the Lakers need to accentuate what Doncic does best.
Alas, it was short-lived. On Saturday, word came down that the Lakers had found enough red flags in Williams’ physical exam to rescind the trade. With Doncic gearing up to make his debut next week, it’s devastating news for the new star and his team.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, “Lakers say the Mark Williams/Dalton Knecht trade has been rescinded.”
Charania followed up by adding that it was not Williams’ back, which had been an issue, that kept the trrade from becoming official.
“Mark Williams’ physical with the Lakers showed multiple issues and the team failed him on the exam, sources tell ESPN. The physical was not failed due to his back, however,” he wrote on Twitter/X.
Williams, who was averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds, with 1.2 blocks this year with Charlotte, is heading back to the Hornets, with Knecht coming back to a decidedly undersize Lakers team.
Fans hoping that the Lakers had filled their center role well enough to compete for a championship were, quite suddenly, left with the realization that Jaxson Hayes is now the top center on the roster. Hayes got the start on Saturday against the Pacers.
As things stand, the Lakers are in a pretty good spot in the West, at 31-19, currently holding the No. 4 seed in the conference after beating Indiana, 124-117.
