The Mark Williams trade saga has seemingly taken yet another turn. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a first-round pick in 2031 and swap rights on another first-round pick in 2030 to the Hornets for their young big man. On Saturday, however, with the deadline passed, the Lakers ultimately elected to rescind the deal due to issues that arose during his physical.
Now, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Hornets are in contact with the NBA as they attempt to explore options to dispute the decision that the Lakers made to fail Williams in his physical.
“The Hornets are considering their next steps and weighing avenues to challenge the Lakers’ evaluation process or seek alternative resolutions with the league office,” Charania reported Monday.
The exact reasons for Williams’ failed physical are not yet known. However, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Saturday, the decision was based on multiple issues, and not the back injury that kept him out for most of last season.
Williams has played in just 85 games across his first three NBA seasons. In addition to that back injury, he has been limited by issues involving his feet and thumb. While he does carry long-term injury risks, he appears to be healthy enough to play right now. Williams played in 23 of the Hornets’ last 28 games before the trade and was averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 25 minutes per contest.
Mark Williams trade rescinded: What comes next for Lakers on buyout market and in the offseason
Sam Quinn
Now Williams is left in an awkward position. If Charlotte’s challenge is successful — and it is not clear at this time if there is any realistic chance that it would be — Williams would ultimately have to join a Lakers team that told the world it did not want to trade him. He would then become extension eligible as a Laker over the summer knowing that their medical team does not trust his long-term health.
If the Hornets prove unable to successfully force the trade through, however, Williams would remain with a team that not only traded him, but aggressively tried to force that trade to happen after publicly welcoming him back following the deal’s initial cancellation.
Either way, one of the NBA’s most talented young big men suddenly faces an extremely uncertain future. Two teams now appear to be fighting over which one of them is forced to take him.
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