Lakers-Hornets Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht Trade Improves Lakers' NBA Championship Odds

The latest NBA championship odds for the Los Angeles Lakers after the Mark Williams trade.

Center Mark Williams is heading to the Lakers. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

UPDATE: After the Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Mark Williams was rescinded on Saturday night, Los Angeles moved to +1500 to win the NBA Finals at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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The Los Angeles Lakers have their big man.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers are trading away rookie Dalton Knecht, wing Cam Reddish, their 2031 first-round pick (unprotected) and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for third-year center Mark Williams.

Just In: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/QGUwETssGd

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

This move comes after the Lakers made a blockbuster deal over the weekend to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in the 2029 NBA Draft.

Los Angeles desperately needed a center after dealing away Davis, and now it has a young one that it can build around for years to come.

Williams, 23, is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 59.7 percent from the field this season. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Williams has dealt with injury issues early in his NBA career, but he should slide right in to the starting center spot for Los Angeles.

Here's a look at how the Lakers' odds changed after swapping Knecht, Reddish and draft capital out for a young center.

Lakers NBA Championship Odds Following Mark Williams Trade

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

After the Doncic trade, the Lakers were +2000 to win the NBA Finals. That number has moved down since then, and it's settled at +1600 following the trade for Williams.

While Williams certainly isn't Davis, he is a nightly double-double threat that should benefit from getting passes from Doncic and LeBron James the rest of the season.

With the Lakers moving on from Knecht and their 2031 first, they are showing that they plan on making Williams their center of the future. If the big man can stay healthy, this could be a great move for Los Angeles to pair Williams with Doncic for years to come.

The Lakers are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and hold the third-best odds to win the NBA Finals amongst all Western Conference teams.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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