Los Angeles follows up its trade for Luka Dončić by adding desperately needed size in the frontcourt.

From NBA.com News Services

Mark Williams would seem to shore up L.A.’s gaping hole in the middle, providing a lob threat for its new playmaker.

Update: This trade was rescinded on Feb. 8 ‘due to failure to satisfy a condition of the trade,’ the Lakers announced in a brief statement.

Days after stunning the NBA with their  the Lakers were at it again, sending rookie guard Dalton Knecht, veteran forward Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for burgeoning young center Mark Williams. The trade was reportedly agreed upon Wednesday before becoming official after the trade deadline.

Lakers receive:

Hornets receive:

The Lakers had already been thin up front even before sending All-NBA forward Anthony Davis to Dallas as part of their package for Dončić. But Williams’ addition offsets at least some of that scarcity, giving the Lakers a promising young 7-footer who just turned 23 in December.

Williams fills an obvious need for the Lakers, who were briefly left with Jaxson Hayes as their only veteran center following Davis’ departure and Christian Wood’s long-term injury absence.

Sidelined through November, Williams averaged 16 points and 9.8 rebounds with 60 dunks over his final 22 appearances with the Hornets, who took him 15th overall out of Duke in 2022.

Williams has had seven double-doubles in his last 11 games, including a 31-point, 13-rebound performance against the Jazz. Williams scored 38 points in a loss to Memphis last month, but his game has been plagued by inconsistency.

Charlotte, meanwhile, continues to amass draft capital and assets as its rebuild wears on. The Hornets now own their first-round pick in the next seven years, as well as a top-14 protected first-round pick in 2027 from Miami (unprotected in 2028), a top-two protected pick from Dallas in 2027, the right to swap first rounders with the Lakers in 2030 and the Lakers’ unprotected first round pick in 2031.

Knecht was the Lakers’ first-round pick last summer, and the outside shooting specialist has averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a rookie. He started 12 games and even hadwhile hitting a record-tying nine 3-pointers in November, but he has received less playing time in the new year.

Reddish is averaging 3.3 points per game in his second season with the Lakers. He started 26 games for Los Angeles last season under coach Darvin Ham, but has played much less under Redick.

Dončić hasn’t played since Christmas due to a strained left calf. He is expected to make his Lakers debut against the Indiana Pacers, although Redick said the Lakers won’t make that decision until Saturday morning.

The Lakers have now traded seven of the 13 players on their roster on opening night. They also opened a roster spot in this deal with Charlotte, allowing them to add another depth piece.