Lakers Rumors: NBA -Insiders Question whether LA gave ‘too much’ in Mark William’s Trade | News, scores, highlights, statistics and rumors

NBA insider Jovan Buha says Los Angeles Lakers’ Trade for Mark Williams has received “mixed reactions” around the league.

Lakers traded Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, along with a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round, to acquire Williams from Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“I’ve already seen some reactions that say they were too much paid,” Buha said Wednesday night at his Buha’s block Podcast (4:45 Marking of the video below). “I know I talk to some other people around the league, people have kinds of mixed reactions around the price tag.

“They are high in the care of Mark Williams, but just wonder if Dalton Knecht, plus a first one, was a little too much.”

The deal looks particularly expensive compared to the Blockbuster agreement, which Lakers recently made to former Dalla’s Mavericks star Luka Dončić, who demanded that the franchise should send only one of their marketable first round. Holding the 2031 election allowed Lakers to later put together the package for Williams.

Fred Katz, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick Of the athletic reported after the Dončić trade that Lakers did not want to use the choice to bring “a patch-up role player” or commit to “long-term money.” The team did not seem to see Williams, in the third year of his rookie deal, as appropriate in any of these categories.

Williams, which was kept playing 62 total matches through his first two NBA campaigns, was again limited by injury as he sat out the first 20 games of the 2024-25 season.

However, he has been effective when he was healthy, but has erected a career high 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks through 23 performances.

Williams also turned 23 in December and raised the opportunity for Lakers to expand him and use him as a building block as the team seems to construct a challenger around Dončić in the future.

Lakers needed a frontcourt addition after sending Anthony Davis as part of the trade for Dončić. Given Christian Wood’s long-term injury absence and the lack of other veteran center options outside Jaxson Hayes, Williams will remain healthy being the key to Lakers’ Front-Court depth down the stretch.