Laker fans in shock as Mark Williams trade falls off after failed medicals: “Dodged a bullet”

 

In a startling turn of events, the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade deadline agreement with the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams has been revoked. On Saturday night, the Lakers declared that they had canceled the trade because the Hornets had not fulfilled a requirement of the agreement. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Williams’ Lakers physical “showed multiple issues and the team failed him on the exam.”

According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the trade was conditional on Williams and Dalton Knecht reporting and passing a physical. The transaction would have sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round selection, and a 2030 pick to Charlotte in exchange for Williams. However, that is not the case anymore.

The Lakers may have avoided a long-term bullet by the deal falling through. But center will now be a major worry for the remainder of the season. After Anthony Davis was traded to Dallas for Luka Doncic, Williams seemed set to start for the Lakers. With the deal now off, fans also tweeted their say on various social media sites.

The reason behind the Lakers’ decision to cancel the trade is still unknown. However, Williams has a long medical history during his first two or more years in the NBA. Williams only appeared in 43 games in his rookie season. This was because of a thumb injury and several ankle sprains, which required surgery to fix in the offseason.

Fans chime in on failed Mark Williams-Lakers trade deal

The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a great dilemma. This is because their deal to bring in Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets fell off. Trey Jemison III, Christian Koloko, and Jaxson Hayes are the only big players left on the Lakers’ roster following the trade of Anthony Davis. Christian Wood, who hasn’t played this season because of offseason knee surgery, and Markieff Morris are both possible stretch fives.

Fans did not hold back regarding the failed Williams trade. Many of them took to various social media sites to put forward their views and thoughts. One fan wrote on X, “We dodged a bullet tbh. Trading our last tradeable first and a swap for an injury-prone big would’ve backfired”.

Check out some of the reactions below:

Williams had only played in 23 games this season because of knee and foot problems. The Lakers were thrilled about Williams despite his injury history – mostly because he was a great fit for LeBron James and the recently acquired Luka Doncic as a lob threat. But the Lakers don’t have a real big man now that the deadline has passed.