Here we go again. I’ve been a fan of this franchise for many years and have been through so much with the Hornets, including the bad years, the horrendous drafting, the wasted seasons, lowballing Kemba for Terry Rozier, and the abysmal era of Michael Jordan as the owner.
When Michael Jordan finally sold the Charlotte Hornets, I had hope that this team would turn it around. With new ownership, maybe this franchise can start succeeding. Well, then news breaks of the Mark Williams trade being rescinded, and there is a lot I have to say about this.
During the NBA Trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets moved Mark Williams via trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning deal. The details of the trade are down below.
Details of the Mark Williams Trade
Charlotte Hornets Acquire: Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, 2031 1st Round Pick (Unprotected) and 2030 1st Round Pick Swap.
Los Angeles Lakers Acquire: Mark Williams
The Hornets got an intriguing young player in Dalton Knecht and two draft picks. Yes, they got Cam Reddish too, but let’s be real, he’s kind of a scrub/depth piece. The picks and Knecht are Charlotte’s actual value. The Lakers won in this trade, too, as they needed a rim protector and a center desperately. Well, that trade is now off the board.
This deal was pulled because Mark Williams underwent a physical, and the Lakers found multiple issues that were unrelated to his back injury and weren’t reported to them. The trade was pending a physical, and thanks to what the Lakers found, they decided to rescind the trade, and the deal is off.
Williams returns to the Hornets, Knecht, and Reddish to the Lakers; no picks are exchanged between the teams. This is frustrating; honestly, both teams are in a tough spot. As for who comes off worse, it’s the Hornets.
I have said it before and will repeat it: this medical staff is among the worst in the NBA. It has been five years since this team has had injury after injury. I get if this happens one year, but when it happens on and on with the entire team, that is what we like to call a trend.
Williams has been playing injured with this staff who didn’t identify it, which is so telling. It’s not just one issue; remember that the word Shams is used for multiple injury issues. Why was this not reported on the injury reports to begin with?
Either two things are going on here. Either the Hornets knew there were long-term issues and tried to pull a fast one on the Lakers by offloading him. Neither team was aware, and a simple check with the Lakers found more issues. I don’t know if we’ll ever know the true answer, but knowing the Hornets medical staff, it’s unacceptable.
There needs to be massive changes in the medical team because there’s a problem. The worst part is that this organization revamped the medical staff in 2024 with 10 new hires. Only the Hornets are where this can happen, and it is time to have a hard look in the mirror at the medical team.
The most telling part is Mark Williams’s body is broken. Back injuries alone are the worst and no joke, but the fact that there are more injuries elsewhere is a problem. That and the Lakers wanting no part of Williams and recensing the deal, what they found had to have been damning.
Now that he’s back in Charlotte, I doubt he will play another game for the rest of the season, not only because of the awkwardness but also because of the multiple injury issues that he currently has. I would ensure health with him and shut him down. Especially with the Hornets getting Jusef Nurkic by the deadline and the rise of Moussa Diabate.
If you want to know what makes things worse, their press release. Their press release says the following:
“We are excited to welcome Mark back to our Hornets organization. After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him. We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic, and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court.”
There are two things here that are telling. First, Why would they call the Lakers “The Other Team” in the Williams trade? Are you too lazy not to name the Lakers by name? Not even mentioning the Lakers by name makes them look bratty. Then the Hornets claim that the Lakers aggressively pursued Mark.
The problem is that there are multiple reports that that is not the case. Charlotte reached out to the Lakers first, who were the ones to do the deal aggressively. So, claiming that the Lakers aggressively pursued him isn’t true.
The one thing this situation continues to prove is that the Charlotte Hornets are the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA, and it’s not even close. It’s just yet another pathetic and embarrassing situation for this franchise. I don’t know what the Hornets even do anymore to fix it.
I don’t trust anyone there, not even the owners, this GM, this “coach,” etc. Making future trades involving Mark Williams with this fiasco will be difficult now. The Hornets will enter nine straight seasons with no playoffs, leading the NBA. I want this team to win basketball games and get a playoff appearance, but it’s looking more unlikely with dysfunction like this.
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