When Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka described the type of center the franchise was looking for ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, he used the terms “versatility,” “mobility,” “a vertical lob threat” and “competitive.”
Those terms, to a large degree, describe Mark Williams.
After consulting with Luka Dončić shortly after the trade over the weekend, the Lakers prioritized adding a lob threat and rim-runner to pair with Dončić in a similar vein to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, Dončić’s former Dallas teammates.
Over his past 10 games, Williams is averaging 20.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. When he’s played more than 20 minutes in a game this season, he’s averaging 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 blocks on 59.2 percent shooting. He has eight double-doubles in those 15 games.
The two biggest concerns with Williams are the nuances of his defense and his injury history. While he can block shots due to his athleticism and record-setting 9-foot-9 standing reach, Williams can struggle with the details in his pick-and-roll coverage. He has never played more than 43 games in a season and has played in just 23 of the Hornets’ 48 games this campaign.
However, considering the state of the center market — both the lack of the options and the high prices — and the alternative being Jaxson Hayes continuing to start, the Lakers did about as well as was reasonably possible.
Read more about the trade here.
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Lakers acquire Mark Williams, send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, draft picks to Hornets: Sources
