The Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday made a big trade, and it apparently was made to please their big acquisition – Luka Doncic.
The Lakers acquired center Mark Williams in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. They gave up Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, as well as an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 and pick swap in 2030.
There was talk immediately after the Lakers traded away Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic that the team needed a center. Apparently pleasing Doncic was a big reason for the move.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Doncic asked the Lakers to bring in a big man who can be a lob threat.
After huddling with Luka Doncic after the trade, he impressed upon Lakers’ brass his desire to play with a lob threat, mobile big whose vertical spacing gives Doncic another option when making his reads, sources told ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 6, 2025
The Lakers’ acquisition of Williams comes a day after general manager Rob Pelinka set expectations low. Pelinka had said that the market for big men was “dry” and suggested the Lakers would not be making a big move. Their acquisition of Williams, which came at the cost of losing Knecht and a future first-round pick, was not cheap.
