The Los Angeles Lakers declared that the acquisition trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams has been canceled. The trade, perceived as a significant victory for the Lakers aiming to combine Williams with newly acquired star Luka Doncic, will not occur because the Lakers claim the Hornets did not meet a condition of the trade.
The Lakers exchanged Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a first-round swap in 2030, and an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 to the Hornets for Williams, but it appears that there was a problem that will cancel this trade and revert all players and picks to their original teams.
The exact reason for this remains unclear, but it might be due to a failed physical by Williams, who has only participated in 23 games this season because of a foot injury. Nonetheless, he participated in all of Charlotte’s last three matches, making it challenging to identify that as the problem.
With this uncomfortable turnaround, it will seem as if this trade never occurred, returning Knecht, Reddish, and the draft assets to the Lakers.