Earlier this week, Los Angeles Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka recognized after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić that the big-man trade market was “dry.” Well, I guess the Lakers have found some moisture in this allegedly barren land.
The Lakers are sending Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a first-round pick and a first-round swap to the Charlotte Hornets for big man Mark Williams, team sources confirmed to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
ESPN was first to report the deal, and there might be a couple of reactions by some casual fans. Who is Mark Williams? Isn’t that a lot for a center I’ve never heard of before?
Fair questions! You know what we should do? You’re right. Let’s grab our red pen and slap down some grades.
Lakers acquire Mark Williams
On the surface, this may seem like a wild overpay for Williams. The third-year center has played in just 85 games — 43 as a rookie, 19 last season and 23 this season. That is not the type of availability you’re looking for to replace Anthony Davis. The Lakers are giving up a promising rookie in Knecht with a really good outside shot. They’re also giving up a 2030 pick swap with the Hornets, which will only come back to bite Los Angeles if it is worse than Charlotte in 2030. Throw in an unprotected first-round pick in 2031, and that’s a lot of draft capital for an unproven big man who hasn’t played much in the NBA.
When he’s played this season, though, Williams has been great. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He makes nearly 60 percent of his shots, and he’s at 78 percent from the free-throw line, so he’s not just some big man you can hack and essentially take out of the game. With some actual structure and decent teammates around him, he should be a solid defensive anchor to protect the rim. He’s also a perfect pick-and-roll big man for either LeBron James or Dončić because he’s so good around the rim as a vertical lob threat. Williams makes 74 percent of his shots within 3 feet of the rim.
Williams is a legit 7-feet tall, and he’s a good screen-setter. This feels like another situation where teams didn’t know a player was available and Pelinka was able to pounce with a good enough offer. Nobody knew Dončić could be had, and the Lakers ended up with him. Williams wasn’t really out there in a lot of trade chatter, and the Lakers got him with an aggressive offer. They need to make sure he’s healthy moving forward, but Williams can fit in quickly with everything they’re doing on offense. Organizing the defense could be tough on the fly, but this is more of an acquisition for the future anyway.
Williams has another year left on his rookie deal, and he’ll be extension-eligible before next season. The Lakers could go into restricted free agency with Williams in 2026 and maintain some cap flexibility to add to the group before having to pay him big money (if his play brings that). This keeps the Lakers roster moving forward flexible with financial implications. Yes, this might be a bit of an overpay and risk for Williams, but it’s a good risk. Plus, they underpaid severely for Dončić. It evens out.
Grade: A-
Hornets acquire Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, 2030 first-round pick swap and 2031 first-round pick
I love this deal for the Hornets. They’ve spent the majority of this season trying to establish a new culture that hasn’t been there. It isn’t just coach Charles Lee trying to figure out how to exorcise the demons from this organization. The front office and ownership are trying to figure out where their roster is headed. They already moved Nick Richards, and now they’ve decided to punt on Williams. That’s not a bad decision when you’re getting this much in return.
Knecht started off the season super hot from 3-point range and tailed off shortly after. But we know he’s an exceptional shooter in the long run, which he showed in college. He’s going to be a great option to spread the floor for guys like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Unfortunately, Miller is out for the season, but Knecht is an easy plug-and-play option to get some experience for the rest of this lost season for Charlotte. The Hornets get a chance to see what he can do without the pressure of winning hanging over his head.
Reddish continues to bounce around the league, and he might not be long for this roster. He once had a lot of potential, and now he might just be a minimum-salary wing looking for a home and stability. The picks are likely to determine down the road just how good this trade ends up for the Hornets. They are gambling that the Lakers in five and/or six years will have had some hard times. It’s possible if they can’t put a good team around Dončić and LeBron eventually retires before turning 45 or 46 years old. If the pick swap works out for the Hornets, great. But this is more about the unprotected 2031 first-rounder.
That selection doesn’t have to end up being a top pick for it to be valuable. It can be used in the draft or as a trade chip. The Hornets have stockpiled first-round picks over the last two deadlines, and while they don’t have a Thunder amount of future picks, they have roughly 10 first-rounders (including their own) to play around with over the next few years. This is the type of move good organizations do to maximize their draft capital and build toward the future.
Grade: A
(Photo of Mark Williams: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
