In a sign of how weird things have gotten, the Lakers blew out the Utah Jazz Monday night — a game with more than six minutes of garbage time — but Los Angeles didn’t play rookie Dalton Knecht one second (nor did Cam Reddish play). The Hornets fell to the Nets on the road Monday and center Mark Williams did not touch the court.
Those players were all part of a trade that was to send Williams to Los Angeles, but the Lakers rescinded the deal after the oft-injured big man did not pass his physical with the team. Now, the Hornets have contacted the NBA, reports Shams Charania of ESPN, looking for a way to dispute the Lakers’ conclusion.
It remains unclear what that dispute would look like or do. Often, when a team is considering failing a player’s physical, a trade is modified to compensate the team based on what was found. However, because this trade happened right at the Feb. 6 deadline, which has now passed, it cannot be changed. It will proceed in its original form or not at all.
Charlotte’s options may be limited, but having this happen dampens Williams’ trade value should the Hornets want to try to trade him to another team this summer. The Hornets are looking for a way to boost his value (having him play well and stay on the court might be the best of those options).
The Lakers remain in need of a center after trading Anthony Davis to Dallas to acquire Luka Doncic. Williams was “handpicked” by Doncic as the kind of vertical threat big man the Lakers new star wants to play with. However, Williams has missed 60% of his games in two-plus seasons since the Hornets drafted him with the No. 15 pick in 2022.
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