The Los Angeles Lakers backed out of a big trade last week due to medical concerns, and we know one former NBA player who was not surprised to see the deal fall through.
On Wednesday, the Lakers agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire center Mark Williams in exchange for a package centered around Dalton Knecht. The hope for L.A. was that Williams would fill some of the void left when the team traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
The trade was never finalized, however. The Lakers rescinded the deal on Saturday after their medical staff reportedly uncovered “multiple issues” during Williams’ physical.
Former NBA point guard Jeff Teague knew something didn’t smell right from the start. Before the Lakers rescinded the trade, Teague said on his “Club 520” podcast that the Hornets must have known something about Williams’ medical situation that they were not disclosing. Otherwise, Teague felt the trade made no sense for Charlotte.
“They got finessed, for sure. Mark Williams is a young big, but he’s always hurt,” Teague said. “So they like, ‘F–, we can get off this.’ They know something we don’t know, you know what I mean? You don’t just give up a big center, a young center averaging 15 (points) and damn near 10 (rebounds). It’s something they know that we don’t. That hip f–ed up, for real, you know what I mean? Like, he can get through it, but it ain’t gonna last long.”
You can listen to the clip, but beware that it contains cursing:
— 🗿 (@BigDeuce__) February 9, 2025
Williams has averaged 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season. The 7-footer is a strong rim protector and elite lob threat. The Lakers reportedly had a very specific reason for trying to trade for him.
Since the issues with Williams’ physical were flagged after Thursday’s trade deadline, the Lakers and Hornets were unable to renegotiate the deal. It is possible the two sides could revisit the talks down the road.
