All Hornets

Charlotte Hornets reportedly trade Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers for Knecht, Reddish, draft picks

Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and two first round picks are headed to Charlotte.
Owen O'Connor|
Jan 27, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) tries for a steal from Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Jan 27, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) tries for a steal from Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have reportedly traded center Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The move came out of relative no where, as there were no rumors about the Hornets shopping Williams. The seven-footer struggled on Wednesday night's game against Milwaukee, scoring 6 points on 2-8 with 5 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

Williams was seen as the Hornets center of the future, as the former Blue Devil had averaged a career high 15.6 points this season while bringing in 9.6 rebounds. The team traded Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns in mid-January, which seemingly all but confirmed that the team was committed to Williams.

Mark has been the cause of controversy in the Hornets fanbase over the past few days, as Hornets anaylst Terrence Oglesby tore him apart at halftime of their game against the Wizards on Monday night.

Williams quickly posted a tweet for his new team after being traded.

Mark now gets to be the starting center for a Lakers roster, and will be a center piece for a team with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. He is contract eligible in the offseason.

The Return

Dalton Knecht

Dalton Knecht
Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Knecht is in his first NBA season, averaging 9.4 points per night on 46.5% from the field and 35.8% from three point land. In his last game, the former Vol had 14 points on 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from three.

The 17th overall pick will be an elite shooter next to LaMelo Ball, and will help greatly with the Hornets spacing.

Cam Reddish

Cam Reddish
Dec 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) enters the court after a timeout in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Reddish has been statistically having the worst season of his six year career, averaging 3.3 points a night on 43.0% from the field and 28.9% from three. He has only seen action in 31 games this season, and is a free agent at the end of the season.

If the former top ten pick sees time, he will be looking to earn another contract in the offseason

2031 First Round Pick

The most valuable piece to this deal, the Lakers 2031 first round selection. However, bad news for Hornets fans is the pick may have lost value with the Lakers acquisition of Luka Doncic on Saturday night.

Moussa Diabate will seemingly be the Hornets center of the future now.

The Hornets will most likely stay busy tomorrow, with names such as Vasa Micic and Cody Martin being linked to other teams ahead of the 3 P.M. trade deadline.

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Owen O'Connor
OWEN O'CONNOR

A Boston native and product of Elon University, Owen brings a fresh perspective to the Charlotte sports scene. He joined Charlotte Hornets On SI in 2024, providing in-depth coverage of all areas of the organization, from the draft, free agency, trades, and on scene at games.

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