Why the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets' deal with Mark Williams was canceled

NBA Trade Rumors: Why the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets' deal with Mark Williams was canceled

According to reports, the Los Angeles Lakers will not formally announce one of their big trade deadline deals.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the team declared that they had canceled their trade of Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick.

Charania claims that because the Hornets did not follow the terms of the trade, the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to cancel the deal.

Mark Williams fails the Lakers' physical examination.

Williams' illness was apparently not completely disclosed by the Hornets before the deal.

Despite Williams' back issues, Los Angeles did not fail him. Throughout his early career, the 23-year-old big man has experienced back issues, particularly during his second season with the Hornets.

This season, Williams, 23, is averaging a career-high 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. However, he has only made 23 appearances this season, which is similar to his two previous seasons.

Williams did not participate in the team's 124-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers, which featured a historic career performance by Austin Reaves, because the trade process was still ongoing.

The Lakers will now look for a center addition through the buyout market.

The Athletic's Fred Katz claims that both teams can still change their agreement to make it work if a player fails a physical prior to the trade deadline. However, a team can only make the trade official or cancel it after the trade deadline.

The Lakers made the tough but necessary choice to postpone their trade with the Hornets since the trade deadline is just two days away.

Williams, a 7-foot tower with intriguing defensive potential and talent, was widely hailed for his arrival to the Lakers because of his ability to mesh well with Luka Doncic, the team's newest star. Magic Johnson is among the people who have voiced their enthusiasm about the potential contributions of the former Duke great.

However, given the circumstances surrounding the health evaluation, the Lakers are forced to play the remainder of the season without Williams and to continue their frantic search for a suitable center to replace Anthony Davis in the buyout market.