Report: Lakers nixed Mark Williams trade because they ‘just couldn’t live with what they saw’

Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams was close to playing alongside the likes of forward LeBron James and guard Luka Doncic on the Los Angeles Lakers. Before the trade deadline back in February, the Lakers agreed to send a package highlighted by forward Dalton Knecht and draft capital to the Hornets in exchange for Williams.

But the Lakers ended up rescinding the deal after failing him on his physical, and a source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Lakers nixed the trade because they “just couldn’t live with what they saw.”

“Only Williams never suited up for L.A.,” McMenamin wrote. “He failed the team’s physical examination, and the Lakers ‘just couldn’t live with what they saw,’ a source with knowledge of the subject told ESPN.”

The Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Plaschke reported recently that the Lakers also had concerns about Williams’ maturity and were worried that they gave up too much to acquire him. Los Angeles agreed to trade Knecht along with fellow wing Cam Reddish, a pick swap in 2030 and an unprotected first-round pick in 2031.

After the Williams trade was rescinded, he claimed that the possibility of failing his physical didn’t even cross his mind and noted that he played heavy minutes shortly before news of the deal came out. He also theorized that factors outside of his physical played a part in the Lakers’ decision to nix the trade.

A post that Williams made on X not long ago implies that the rescinded trade is still on his mind after all this time. Around when the Lakers lost Game 5 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and got eliminated from the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Williams made a post that simply featured a smiling emoji.

Williams didn’t get to participate in the ongoing 2025 NBA Playoffs, as the Hornets finished the 2024-25 regular season with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. He has yet to get a taste of playoff basketball at the NBA level, and if he sticks around in Charlotte for the long haul, folks maybe shouldn’t expect him to make his playoff debut anytime soon.

Regardless of whether Williams is a Hornet by the start of next season or not, hopefully he can put together a healthy campaign.