The Luka Doncic trade wasn’t the only deadline move the Los Angeles Lakers made as they also swung a huge deal for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams.
Williams wasn’t considered a target for the Lakers given his youth and upside, but the team was able to convince the Hornets to accept a trade centered on Dalton Knecht and a future first-round pick. Williams was thought to be the perfect archetype to play alongside Doncic, a rim-running big man who can also block shots and provide some paint protection due to his size and length.
However, Los Angeles wound up rescinding the trade due to medical concerns discovered during Williams’ physical. The center had already dealt with several injuries in his career, though he admitted he didn’t understand why the Lakers would nix the trade.
Now that the Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs with their lack of size playing a role in that, Williams took a little victory lap on social media, via Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune:
Mark Williams is taking a victory lap tonight after the Wolves beat the Lakers in five. pic.twitter.com/VxZQQ0pzaP
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 1, 2025
The first photo is from his personal Instagram account where he posts a popular meme of a man attending his enemy’s funeral, essentially a shot at the Lakers for denying the trade and forcing him to go back to the Hornets. The second post from his personal X account is a more direct subliminal to Los Angeles as he seemed to enjoy watching them get eliminated.
In the social media age, this sort of content is normal and it feels like Williams hasn’t quite gotten over the ordeal and what it did to him personally and professionally. While he has every right to feel the way he does, Los Angeles appeared to have a good reason for nixing the deal as they were in desperate need of a big man after they traded away Davis in the Doncic blockbuster.
It was within L.A.’s right to back out of the deal given what their medical team discovered during their exam, but the situation will always be looked at as a what-if for both franchises. The Lakers were a legitimate big man away from being a true title contender, so it’s easy to wonder what could have been had they kept Williams.
Mark Williams’ agent says Lakers shouldn’t have rescinded trade
Mark Williams is represented by Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management and the team had to be angry over the Lakers backing out of the trade. After the news was announced, Schwartz released a statement saying the Lakers shouldn’t have rescinded the deal.
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