Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams is enjoying the most productive season of his NBA career so far, but it likely hasn’t gone anything like he expected.
Before the trade deadline passed, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to acquire Williams from the Hornets. After the deadline, the Lakers failed Williams on his physical, causing the trade to collapse and sending the 23-year-old back to Charlotte.
While he has played well since then, it sounds like he maybe shouldn’t get too comfortable with the Hornets.
“Mark Williams is obviously back with the Hornets after the Lakers rescinded their February trade for the Charlotte big man, but some rival executives expect the Williams trade market to be re-explored this summer,” wrote NBA insider Marc Stein. “The Hornets have tried to shut down similar speculation about star guard LaMelo Ball, but the reality remains that Williams, Ball and Brandon Miller have managed to appear in the same game just 18 times over the past two seasons.”
Since the failed trade, Williams has played in 12 games with the Hornets. He has averaged 15.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game during that span while shooting 60.8 percent from the field.
That’s roughly in line with his overall production this season. Across 35 games, he’s averaging a double-double with 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game on 59.3 percent shooting.
When the Williams trade fell through, some felt like it was going to prevent the Lakers from becoming real threats in the Western Conference, but L.A. has looked good since the trade deadline. The squad is now 42-25 and within striking distance of the No. 2 spot in the West.
Williams, meanwhile, is back with a Hornets team that isn’t headed to the postseason. Charlotte has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 17-51.
If the trade market for Williams is explored this offseason, a deal sending him somewhere new might give him a chance to play for a contending team.
That could be a nice change for him, especially since the rescinded trade put him in an awkward position where he had to go back to an organization that was ready to send him away. He was shocked upon learning that the deal had fallen apart.
For now, he’ll keep doing his job with Charlotte, but it seems like his future may be a storyline worth keeping an eye on. The Hornets have 14 games left this season before they can turn their attention to what’s next.
