Mark Williams addressed his voided trade with the LA Lakers on social media during a fan Q&A session on X on Wednesday. Already in his offseason after the Charlotte Hornets saw another season end in April, Williams took time out to engage with NBA Twitter and faced a few interesting questions, including his move to LA, which unpredictably fell apart.
Williams reportedly failed his physical and didn’t meet a condition set by the Lakers to make the trade official. According to reports, his back injuries over the past few years were one of the ailments that LA was concerned about. An X user named Audel Del Toro asked Williams if the back or ankle injuries were “cooked,” to which the Hornets center replied, saying:
“I didn’t miss a game this season for either of those things”
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Williams’ claim was right for all but one game. He missed majority of the 2024-25 season with a foot injury, but as per Fox Sports, he dealt with a back issue on Apr. 4 against the Sacramento Kings. In a separate tweet, when asked directly about his voided trade to the Lakers, Williams suggested the fan target the question at Rob Pelinka and Co.
The 7-footer averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 44 games. Had the trade to LA gone through, Williams would have landed with the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap.
Many felt the deal falling apart would hurt the Lakers, but JJ Redick’s crew has stayed afloat, finishing the season 50-32 and securing the third seed in the Western Conference.
It will be interesting to see if LA struggles to replicate its success without Mark Williams in the playoffs, where it could have used size at the five in a few matchups.
alt=”Arhaan Raje” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Arhaan Raje
