UPDATE: Mark Williams failed his physical due to “multiple issues.” This caused the Lakers to rescind the trade, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Lakers arguably won the 2025 NBA trade deadline, acquiring Luka Doncic and Mark Williams in two separate deals. Now, the second deal involving Williams has been rescinded.
Los Angeles announced the deal was rescinded “due to failure to satisfy a condition of the trade.”
The reason for the trade’s failure is currently unknown. All trades go through a pending process, and something arose during this time that alarmed someone enough to call it off.
The initial deal between the Hornets and Lakers had Williams landing in Los Angeles with Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first round pick going to Charlotte. It was a major move for the Lakers to shore up their frontcourt after dealing Anthony Davis a few days prior.
Now, the Lakers will be without their key frontcourt addition for the remainder of this season. Instead, they hold on to Knecht and the draft picks for a potential offseason deal.