Mark Williams is heading to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 23-year-old rim-runner was acquired in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick are heading in the opposite direction.
Shortly after the Lakers acquired Williams, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Luka Doncic had informed the franchise he plays best when sharing the court with a lob threat.
“Lakers had been looking for a big but once they got Luka this week, they knew exactly what kind of big they wanted,” Shelburne reported via X. “From what I’ve heard, in Luka’s initial basketball conversations he told Lakers GM Rob Pelinka he played best when he had a vertical lob threat. When Charlotte called saying they liked Knecht and might be willing to discuss Mark Williams, the deal came into place…”
“The Lakers had previously looked at more veteran, slower/older bigs. But when Luka explained how much playing with Lively and Gafford opened things up for him in Dallas, LA felt like this was the move that would give them a shot this year and beyond.”
Williams is an explosive scorer with great size. At 7-foot tall, he can play above the rim, in the dunker spot, or as a roll man. He’s also a solid rim protector and shot deterrent. In his 22 games this season, Williams is averaging 16 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 59.7% from the field.
Lakers Get High Grade For Williams Addition
Shortly after the Lakers trade for Williams was announced, Yahoo Sports Kevin O’Connor shared his thoughts via X. The veteran analyst praised Rob Pelinka’s decision-making. O’Connor also expanded on the Lakers trade deadline moves as a whole.
“Mark Williams is a shocking addition for the Lakers,” O’Connor posted on X. “Such an incredible trade. Wow. Perfect for what they need now and into the future. Interior defensive enforcer, rebounder, screen and lob target for Luka and LeBron. Plus has untapped shooting touch. A+ deadline becomes A+++++…Injuries are of course the concern with Mark Williams. But more than worth the upside bet at age 23 IMO. Stunned the Hornets moved him even though the return is quite nice.”
Williams joins a big-man rotation that also consists of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood. He will likely slot straight into the Lakers starting lineup. As such, JJ Redick now has significant size at his disposal.
Lakers Doncic Could Extend LeBron James’ Career
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin believes that the addition of Doncic could extend LeBron James‘ career. LeBron, 40, has a player option for next season. Currently, there’s no indication on when the veteran superstar plans to retire from the NBA.
“LeBron had no intention and has no intention of asking out before Thursday’s trade deadline,” McMenamin said via NBA Today on Monday, Feb. 3. “He’s going to stay with the Lakers to play with Luka Doncic for the remainder of the season. Then, he has a player option this summer that we assume he’ll pick up. But there’s a chance he will renegotiate a new deal and this Luka Doncic addition could extend LeBron James’ career. It’s not a given that next year will be his last year in the NBA.”
If both stars gel on the court, then there’s a genuine chance LeBron could stick around for a few more years. After all, the Lakers are moving closer to being championship contenders. Adding another ring to his resume would undoubtedly be a welcomed boost to LeBron’s already stellar resume. For now, though, Lakers fans must wait and see how things play out on the hardwood, as that will provide some early insight into how things play out.
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