Ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers announced they have acquired Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and 2031 unprotected first round pick.
The move came on the heels of the Lakers completing a blockbuster trade, swapping Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. That obviously left the Lakers with a void at the center position, which Williams will help fill.
Shortly after reports came out, Williams took to social media to react to being traded to the Lakers:
💜💛
— Mark Williams (@MarkWi1liams) February 6, 2025
Williams is a 23-year-old former first round pick that was drafted 15th overall in 2022 out of Duke. Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentored him a bit during his time with the Blue Devils.
In 22 contests (19 starts) for the Hornets this season, Williams has averaged 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
While Williams is a nice fit with Doncic and the rest of the Lakers roster, he did not come at a cheap price with the team giving up Knecht, Reddish and a valuable draft pick and swap.
The Lakers drafted Knecht 17th overall out of Tennessee this past summer and were really high on the rookie who was recently named to the Rising Stars Challenge.
Knecht has been a streaky shooter in his first NBA season but in 48 games (12 starts) for the Lakers, he averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 35.8% from 3-point range.
Reddish was a minimum salary that the Lakers included to make the trade work financially. He has played in 31 games this season (eight starts) and averaged 3.3 points and 2,0 rebounds. With this being a two-for-one trade, the Lakers have an open roster spot to use on the buyout market.
Mark Williams fits Rob Pelinka’s description of ideal center for Lakers
At Luka Doncic’s introductory press conference, Rob Pelinka made it clear that the Lakers were looking to add a center. He discussed what type of player they are looking for, and the description fits Mark Williams pretty well.
“Versatility, mobility, a vertical lob threat, I think that’s a key to the spacing that Luka likes to play. Competitive. I think that those are some of the core things there. Those players are hard to find. But we’ll accomplish the task that’s before us. We’ll find a way.”
Pelinka did indeed find a way and now Williams will pair with Doncic to usher in the next era of Lakers basketball.
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