Assessment of Lakers’ other amazing trade: Could Mark Williams be the missing piece?

On By Littum

As if this year’s NBA trade deadline wasn’t crazy enough, Los Angeles Lakers – who had already shocked the world did by shopping for Luka Dončić – another great splash by making an aggressive step for Mark Williams, the center of Charlotte, who has dramatic improved this season.

After including Anthony Davis in the aforementioned Dončić trade, Lakers needed size. Nikola Vučević and Myles Turner were two candidates discussing ad Nausum of the fan base. Instead, Lakers went to Williams, who gave up Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a choice of the first round of 2031-as is unprotected and eventually a 2030 pick swap to Hornets.

Let’s judge the trade:

It is a costly acquisition, but one that makes sense on several levels.

Williams, 23, average 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per Battle in its third season. If these numbers look pedestrian to you, here’s the kicker: he does it in just 25 minutes a night.

Williams is also a high quality defender. His huge 7-foot-2-frame and almost 7-7 wing buckles allow him to challenge shots near the edge and deter players from mercilessly driving against him.

Offensively, these measurements also help Williams have a wide trading radius on lobs that would fit beautifully with an elite lob -pass that can enter the paint, collapse the defense and get elite reading of the defensive movements.

This description sounds creepy similar to that of a particular Slovenian.

Lakers paid a huge price for Williams here, and Williams has dealt with injuries, but upside down and theoretical fit with Dončić and LeBron James are out of the charts.

Furthermore, lakers invested in their future. It may sound when they just traded away Knecht and draft equity, but Williams is on a similar timeline as Dončić, and presents a solution to a greater need than Knecht does.

This is a strong coming from Lakers, so for the second time this trading deadline they deserve a thorough A+.

Hornets rightly pressed Lakers for everything they could get for Williams, go away with a young and effective wing scorer in Knecht and significant draft settings down the line. For a franchise that has fought this year and realized that it is needed to build for the future, Charlotte has done well to make a strong turn.

Knecht can play with both Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller, to the point where the trio must be responsible for the vast majority of scoring next season.

Hornets have a great need in the center now, but they should not be a busy. The team goes nowhere this season and finding a center thus becomes a summer task. Hornets can move from election if they wish, or see if they can find a young player in the draft who will fit in like the long -term replacement for Williams.

The very fact that Charlotte is not in a busy is a great asset to them, both here at the deadline and moving into the season. Hornets can take the time to get things right, identify the right players to target and have enough ammunition in terms of trade assets to pull the trigger on a deal that makes sense.

That said, they still gave up the best player in the deal and one who broke out for them at the age of only 23. While the return on Williams’ current production was solid, there is a world where he develops into a two -The All-Star, in which case you have to wonder if they end up saying yes to this.

Hornets ends with a fluid quality of B, which is completely based on this season. It will be interesting to revise this in about two years.