Report: Lakers were worried they overpaid for Mark Williams and that he was too ‘immature’ for their system

Before the trade deadline this season, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to trade wings Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a pick swap and an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for big man Mark Williams.

But the Lakers rescinded the deal after failing Williams on his physical. They also apparently had other concerns. According to a recent report from the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Plaschke, the Lakers were worried that they gave up too much in exchange for the big man and also had concerns regarding his maturity.

“Everyone thought the Lakers had this big man this winter when [Rob] Pelinka followed [Luka] Doncic’s stunning acquisition with a trade for Charlotte’s Mark Williams,” Plaschke wrote.

“But then the Lakers got cold feet. They worried that they overpaid for Williams, worried that he was too immature for their smart veteran system, and eventually that worry turned a bad physical exam into a deal killer.”

In defense of the Lakers, they were on the verge of giving up some key assets in order to land Williams, who has dealt with injury woes in the NBA. From that perspective, rescinding the deal makes some sense.

But at the same time, Knecht, who was believed by some fans to be the centerpiece of the deal from Charlotte’s side of the coin, had a disappointing finish to his inaugural NBA season. He hardly saw the floor in the Lakers’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and scored just five points in the entire series.

Williams, on the other hand, likely would have been able to provide the Lakers with some much-needed minutes at the big man spot against the Timberwolves if at full strength. Minnesota overwhelmed the Lakers with its size, as players such as Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Naz Reid were all impactful at various points.

For as much as Williams has had trouble staying on the court at times in the NBA, he’s been a highly effective center when healthy. He averaged a double-double of 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game with the Hornets in the 2024-25 campaign.

It should be interesting to find out if the Lakers will address their lack of size by making some moves in the offseason. Adding a big man has to be a top priority for the team.