How the rescinded Mark Williams trade foreshadowed the Charlotte Hornets' offseason plan

When the Charlotte Hornets traded Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers at the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the franchise upended their present and future by opening up a massive hole in their front court...

Until it was sewn back up by some indifference on the west coast.

Jeff Peterson's trade deadline moves were, in essence, a microcosm for how he wound up attacking the 2025 offseason.

In February, Peterson attempted to swap size for shooting and future flexibility. Out the door went Mark Williams, Vasilije Micic, and Cody Martin; in came Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, Jusuf Nurkic, and a handful of future picks that added to the Hornets' burgeoning chest of assets.

Knecht brought some shooting, and Nurkic was the band-aid that could stop some bleeding in the front court and offer a different look than what Moussa Diabate brought to the court.

Fast-forward to June, and Peterson ran back the exact same playbook.

Charlotte's 2025 offseason mirrored their trade deadline plan

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) competes against the Dallas Mavericks — Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Gone are Williams and Nurkic, Charlotte's top two centers from the second half of the season (apologies to Moussa Diabate who has earned a spot higher in that pecking order now). In Charlotte now are Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Sion James, Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Pat Connaughton, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Mason Plumlee, and a host of future draft capital.

Everything for the Hornets now starts and ends on the perimeter.

Charles Lee's outfit attempted (and missed) a boatload of threes in 2024-25, so Peterson brought in a myriad of snipers to make sure that his coach's perimeter-heavy offensive attack can thrive going forward.

Charlotte's pivot is an interesting one, as 'double big' lineups were the talk of the NBA playoffs.

If Diabate starts at center, Charlotte is going to be at a size disadvantage night in and night out. The hope is that their perimeter acumen (and a starting lineup including LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges will have it in spades) will bend opposing defenses to Charlotte's will and force opposing fives to go small.

It's an interesting gamble. Will Charlotte be able to make up for their interior deficiencies by spreading the floor as wide as possible on offense? Or will their lack of size and game-changing talent at the center position be a fatal flaw that a top-15 offense can't overcome?

Those are the questions that will define Charlotte's 2025-26 campaign. The good news? Their lead decision-makers, Peterson and Lee, have been keen to answer them for quite awhile.

- MORE STORES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Charlotte Hornets roundtable: Can Moussa Diabate hold down the starting center spot?

The three things that absolutely can't happen in 2025-26 for the Hornets

NBA insider says Hornets want draft positioning but might be competitive