A chaotic week for the Lakers around the trade began and ends with very unexpected news.
LA’s trade for Mark Williams has been rescinded, the team announced on Saturday evening. In their statement, the Lakers cited a “failure to satisfy a condition of the trade” by the Hornets in the deal.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers failed Williams’ physical after finding multiple issues, though his back was not one of them.
It was certainly interesting that Williams was still listed as questionable due to the trade pending on Saturday’s injury report. Head coach JJ Redick also did not speak further on his availability before Saturday’s win over the Pacers. In hindsight, we now know why.
With the trade deadline having passed, there is no going back to the table on this one. Mark Williams will not be a Laker and Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish will return to Los Angeles, as will the team’s 2031 first round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap.
This is certainly not a common situation, to say the least. Because this trade went through after the deadline, the deal could not be amended.
And so, the Lakers are now without the starting center they thought they had traded for. They also no longer have an open roster spot to make a buyout signing.
Financially, the team can waive at least one player and make a signing while remaining under the second apron. However, it limits their flexibility for the remainder of the season.
There’s just never a dull, boring, normal moment in Lakerland, is there.