The Los Angeles Lakers backed out of a trade earlier this month that would have seen them acquire Mark Williams, and the big man’s agent does not feel the decision was appropriate.
The Lakers had acquired Williams in a trade made on Feb. 5. They sent Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, as well as an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 and pick swap rights in 2030, to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams. The Lakers thought they were getting an answer at center after they had shipped out Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
On Feb. 10, we learned that the Lakers had rescinded the trade after their medical staff identified multiple issues during Williams’ physical.
Williams’ agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, does not believe the Lakers had grounds to go back on the deal. Schwartz told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday that multiple doctors have said there was no reason for L.A. to fail Williams after giving the 23-year-old a physical.
“The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical,” Schwartz said.
Williams said earlier this week that he was shocked he had been failed over his physical. The 7-foot center insists he is fully healthy and that every injury he has sustained has been well-documented.
Williams had played in 25 minutes in his Hornets’ 112-102 loss to the Bucks on the night he was traded. He had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the game.
Williams has played in 23 games this season and is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals per contest. He was the No. 15 overall pick by the Hornets out of Duke in 2022. He’s struggled with his health and has only played in 85 games over three seasons. Williams has had multiple issues with his back that has prevented him from playing full seasons.
