Hornets Preparing to Fight Over Lakers’ Mark Williams Decision: Report

Unlock the latest Los Angeles Lakers news — direct to your inbox.

The Los Angeles Lakers may need to gear up for battle over their decision to rescind the Mark Williams trade. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets have ‘been in contact’ with the NBA to explore their options ahead of filing a dispute over the Lakers decision.

“The Charlotte Hornets have been in contact with the NBA as they explore options to dispute the Los Angeles Lakers’ failed physical assessment of Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported. “The Williams/Dalton Knecht trade was nixed Saturday, and now Hornets weigh avenues to challenge.”

The Lakers deal to acquire Williams was broadly heralded as a masterstroke. When healthy, Williams is a high-potential talent, capable of controlling the glass, defending the rim and running the floor at pace. However, whatever the Lakers found during his medical exam was clearly enough for them to call the deal off.

By rescinding the trade for Williams, the Lakers have left themselves short-handed at the center position. Anthony Davis is now with the Dallas Mavericks. Therefore, Jaxson Hayes is the only fit center on the roster. Christian Wood is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Given the position the Lakers currently find themselves in, it’s unlikely they would have pulled the plug on the Williams trade unless they were legitimately concerned over what they found.

Lakers Urged to Build For The Future

Former three-time NBA champion Danny Green believes the Lakers should now begin building for the future. His comments came via a recent episode of FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back.’ Green noted how opting against acquiring Williams likely ended the Lakers’ chances of contending for a championship this season, despite recently acquiring Luka Doncic.

“They can win some games, but they’re not in a win-now situation,” Green said. “They had great moves for the future and win-now when they had Mark Williams. But, now it’s just Luka. You gotta build around him this summer because you can’t do it now…Mark Williams was a good piece.”

The Lakers have a full 15-man roster. A player would need to be waived if they wanted to sign another big man via free agency or the buy-out market.

Lakers Expected to Make a Roster Cut

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers will likely cut a player in the near future. Buha, speaking via his ‘Buha’s Block’ podcast, named three players at risk of being released.

“I think it’s going to be between Christian Wood, Cam Reddish and Shake Milton,” Buha said. “I would assume more so between Wood and Reddish.”

Wood is the most likely candidate to be let go. He hasn’t played this season. Furthermore, removing him from the roster would allow Rob Pelinka to find a replacement center. Swapping Wood for a healthy big man would avoid a logjam in Redick’s rotation.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles’ it’s unlikely a difference-maker is available on the free-agent market. Still, a healthy big who can protect the rim and rebound at a high level is better than a big man who may not play this season. The Lakers have some tough decisions to make moving forward.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor