The uncomfortable fallout from an NBA trade deadline deal that misfired becomes even more uncomfortable on Wednesday night.
The Charlotte Hornets face the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena (10 p.m.). ET) during the NBA’s initial regular-season match following the All-Star break. This game has been rescheduled after their initial match in Los Angeles was delayed because of the wildfires in Southern California last month. However, that postponement indicates it will now be under two weeks since the two teams looked to finalize a trade with each other, only for it to collapse two days later after it appeared to be finished
The Lakers, following their shocking Luka Doncic trade, were trying to secure Hornets center Mark Williams to take over for Anthony Davis on Feb. 5. Since that time, Williams traveled to Los Angeles, returned to Charlotte, and has not played in another game for the Hornets. Dalton Knecht, the main Lakers rookie involved in the trade, was presented in Charlotte and nearly made his Hornets debut in Detroit before heading back to Los Angeles to play again for the Lakers.
This kind of reversal is uncommon in the NBA, and information about what transpired has emerged after the trade ultimately fell through. Before Wednesday’s matchup between the Hornets and Lakers, where Williams may officially return to the court with Charlotte, here’s an analysis of the reasons why the Lakers-Hornets trade involving Williams was canceled:
Reason the Lakers withdrew the Mark Williams trade with the Hornets.
On February 8, the Lakers declared that their trade with the Hornets – obtaining Williams from Charlotte to address the gap at center after Davis was dealt in the Doncic trade – “has been annulled due to not meeting a condition of the trade.”
The deal collapsed when Williams did not pass a physical, a source familiar with the exam informed USA TODAY Sports. The individual spoke without revealing their identity as they were not permitted to share the information.
The trade could not be modified because the NBA’s trade deadline had already expired. The 23-year-old Williams possesses a significant injury history, participating in only 85 games during his initial three NBA seasons.
“We are thrilled to bring Mark back to our Hornets organization,” stated the Hornets in a message.
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