Lakers believe they’ve found the ‘ideal’ center in Mark Williams.
LOS ANGELES – The Lakers have long faced a dilemma, torn between two conflicting needs. On one hand, they have LeBron James, whose retirement is fast approaching. On the other, they must plan for a future without him, which may involve rebuilding the team.
At this month’s trade deadline, general manager Rob Pelinka believed it was the right time for the Lakers to make bold moves. The team traded a future Hall of Famer, their two top young players, and two future first-round picks in a pair of deals that landed them Luka Doncic and Mark Williams.
“We’ve always said we were open to using our picks if the right deal came up,” Pelinka explained Thursday. “And now we feel we have two top-five, top-10 players in the world. This was a chance to equip them with everything they need for a playoff run.”
James is clearly excited about playing alongside Doncic, who is expected to debut on Monday.
“I can’t wait. Everything I do, he can do, or even do better. That’s how incredible he is,” James said. “At just 25, he’s such a unique, special, generational talent. I’m thrilled to play alongside him and watch him work. It’s going to be great.”
With Williams, the Lakers believe they’ve found a center that complements the style of play that Doncic expressed to Pelinka.
“It wasn’t about saying, ‘Go get this guy.’ That wasn’t the tone of our conversations,” Pelinka said about his talks with Doncic. “It was more about the types of bigs that worked well with his style in Dallas. I said, ‘I’ll see what I can find before the deadline, or we’ll address it in the summer if not.'”
“I mentioned in my press conference that the market for bigs was thin. But then this opportunity arose. It’s like the L.A. housing market—sometimes, you find the perfect house that’s not even listed, and you have to act quickly to get it. That’s how we felt when the Mark Williams chance appeared during talks with Charlotte.”
The Lakers are confident Williams, despite some injury concerns during his time with the Hornets, will be healthy, though the team will still conduct a physical examination.
“We’ve looked into his injury history and we’re not concerned,” Pelinka said.
Pelinka emphasized that the timing and opportunity for acquiring Williams were too important to pass up.
“He has great hands, catches the ball above the rim, finishes strong, and provides a defensive presence in the paint,” Pelinka said. “With the strong teams in the West—Memphis, Houston, OKC—we felt it was crucial to address this, and we believe we’ve found the perfect player.”