With the NBA still upset from Luka Doncic's Lakers acquisition, the team had to find a way to improve quickly at the center. What is it to replace Anthony Davis? Lakers It wasn't easy, but Rob Perinka made a major upgrade on their post-AD situation overnight Get Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets.
This transaction was much more difficult than Doncic's contract. The Lakers gave up unprotected first-round picks in 2031 Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and 2030 first-round picks, averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 23.23 He had to win the big age. The Hornets' game of this season.
At first glance, this may seem like a home run, but there are more layers to this than you think. Evaluate the transaction from both parties.
Mark Williams Lakers Grade
One of the NBA's biggest wingspans, Williams is a long, athletic scorer and a solid rebounder. These are two major warnings of this deal from the Lakers' perspective.
Williams is a mercury talent who goes out to a monster double double game one night, completely disappearing the next game, making it seem as if he doesn't want to play basketball. It could be a factor in Charlotte's playing in desperate situations, something the Lakers are falling into the bank. There is no doubt that Los Angeles paid attention to the February 1 game between the Hornets and the Nuggets. There, they got 20 and 15 in 3 blocks when Williams matched with Nicola Jokic.
The biggest problem is Williams' mediocre defense. He packs up the stats sheet, but becomes incredibly lazy when it comes to small things. He doesn't get into the box well, he doesn't show a sense of emergency to protect the boundary, and in general, the game comes to him, rather than trying to assert his will on the defensive side. Play like a man waiting for him.
Much of this allows you to wave because of the lack of leadership in the Hornets locker room. They're a young team without a vocal leader, but the Lakers have LeBron James. If pressure from inside the roster can encourage Williams to work in the rough territory of his game, this could be a home run deal for Los Angeles.
Another major concern is injuries. Williams, who played 85 games in the last three seasons, has been fighting a variety of foot injuries, and has suffered more on the bench than on the court due to a back injury that he only played in 19 games in 2023. I spent time. twenty four.
There is a reason for optimism, but there are also many red flags. This is there is nothing Near the fleece the Lakers went with the Mavericks, they may have actually given up a bit too much for a player with as many concerns as Williams.
Lakers Grade: b-
Mark Williams' Hornets Grade
It was increasingly clear that the Hornets no longer had an interest in Mark Williams, not just individually, but also as an archetype.
Coach Charles Lee wants a stretch 5 in the starting lineup as Williams is a traditional big one. Plus, the Hornets have a roster block and wanted to give defensively oriented Mussa Diabate a few more minutes at center, but they couldn't justify that on Williams' roster.
In the wake of the injury to Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the organization gave a very good show introducing Williams for trade and let the Lakers bite. The trade will not only be added to the chest of the Hornets' War Chest draft pick for the future, but also gives a promising rookie in Dalton Knecht. High rise of Tidjane Salaun.
Knecht gives Charlotte a developmental player and ultimately slots along with the ball and mirror to give the team a lot of range and scoring, with the organization aiming to be more defensive with four and five spots It's there.
With these draft picks coming to the Hornets, there's now a wealth embarrassment and ultimately building something good. As it stands, Charlotte is now leaving all his picks alone.
- 2027 First (Lottery is protected via Heat)
- 2027 First (Top 2 protected via Mavericks)
- 2030 First Round Swap (Right to Laker's Pick)
- 2031 First (via Lakers)
Not to mention using seven more second picks on the same TimesPan. It can be used as a tradable asset. Hornets seem to be constructed in a way that is thought slowly and can eventually relate them (and likely will).
Hornets Grade: a
