Ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers announced they have acquired Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and 2031 unprotected first round pick.
The move came on the heels of the Lakers completing a blockbuster trade, swapping Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. That obviously left the Lakers with a void at the center position, which Williams will help fill.
Shortly after reports came out, Williams took to social media to react to being traded to the Lakers:
In 22 contests (19 starts) for the Hornets this season, Williams has averaged 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
While Williams is a nice fit with Doncic and the rest of the Lakers roster, he did not come at a cheap price with the team giving up Knecht, Reddish and a valuable draft pick and swap.
The Lakers drafted Knecht 17th overall out of Tennessee this past summer and were really high on the rookie who was recently named to the Rising Stars Challenge.
Knecht has been a streaky shooter in his first NBA season but in 48 games (12 starts) for the Lakers, he averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 35.8% from 3-point range.
Reddish was a minimum salary that the Lakers included to make the trade work financially. He has played in 31 games this season (eight starts) and averaged 3.3 points and 2,0 rebounds. With this being a two-for-one trade, the Lakers have an open roster spot to use on the buyout market.
