Subscribe
Follow Us
There are two ways to describe what happened at the NBA trade deadline for the Los Angeles Lakers. On one hand, getting Luka Doncic was shocking. Then there was the trade debacle with Mark Williams, Dalton Knecht, and the Charlotte Hornets that is head-scratching.
When the Lakers made the move to trade for Williams, they did so hoping that he would be their center of the future — an athletic rim runner who would be an immediate lob threat for Doncic and LeBron James. Well, that dream is no more after Los Angeles rescinded their trade with the Hornets due to the big man failing his physical.
As a result, Knecht is back with the Lakers.
After being a late addition to the injury report and subsequently held out of Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, Knecht holds no injury designation for Wednesday night's game against the same opponent. The assumption is that the rookie wing will be suiting up and ready to play for the Lakers, who agreed to trade him just about one week prior.
Knecht was upgraded to probable for the Lakers' previous game against the Jazz before being a late scratch. Head coach JJ Redick said that he met with the rookie that morning and understood that he needed more time to process everything that happened, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The expectation was for Knecht to return to the rotation on Wednesday.
Assuming he is not added to the injury report, Knecht will be making his return to the Lakers' lineup on Wednesday before the All-Star break.
Dalton Knecht back in LA after failed Hornets trade
In the days after the Lakers traded Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2031 first-round pick to Charlotte for Williams, this trade was rescinded. It is rare for deals to fall apart, especially after the trade deadline has passed, but this is what happened with Williams heading to Los Angeles due to the Lakers failing his physical.
While there have been no details as to why the Lakers ultimately failed Williams' physical, it is said this isn't an issue with the Hornets big man's back. Through the early portion of his career, Williams has dealt with extensive back problems that have forced him to miss chunks of time in multiple seasons.
Due to concerns about Williams' long-term outlook as a result of new injury findings from his physical examination, the Lakers made the rare decision to rescind the trade. Knecht is now back with the Lakers and Williams is staying with the Hornets.
Although Los Angeles decided to call off the trade, Charlotte is still seeking answers.
Drama from this deal is ongoing, as the Hornets have been in contact with the league office, exploring options to dispute the Lakers' failed physical assessment of Williams. The only problem is that these cases rarely get overturned by the league since teams receiving players in a trade own the right to end a trade before it is processed if there are medical findings that raise immediate concern.
That is what happened here with the Lakers, and it would come as a shock if the league ruled anything in Charlotte's favor for this rescinded trade.
What happens from here is unknown. Knecht is a young player who was just traded in his first NBA season from the team that drafted him and believed in him. He now has to return and play for the Lakers knowing that he is expendable. It will be interesting to see how this impacts him psychologically.
As for Williams, he returns to the Hornets with even more questions about his overall health. He is not expected to play for Charlotte before the All-Star break.
The Lakers will provide updates if Knecht is to be a late addition to the injury report before Wednesday night's game against Utah.
