The Los Angeles Lakers made a move for a much-coveted center Wednesday night, agreeing to a deal for Mark Williams of the Charlotte Hornets, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Lakers are sending Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets to complete the deal, sources said.
The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis blockbuster over the weekend left the Lakers with a big hole in their lineup, one that vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said Monday he was working to fill via the trade market.
He did so with Williams, a 7-footer out of Duke who is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his third NBA season. Williams gives the Lakers a starting center who fits the profile of athleticism and verticality that has flourished with Doncic.
It came at a cost, though, as the team parts ways with Knecht, the sharp-shooting No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA draft out of Tennessee.
The Hornets, meanwhile, continue to built an arsenal of draft capital, including: their own first-rounders in the next seven drafts; a top-14 protected first from Miami (2027, unprotected in 2028); a top-2 protected first from Dallas (2027); right to swap firsts with the Lakers (2030); an unprotected first from Lakers (2031).
