Mark Williams’ agent defends his client’s health following failed Lakers-Hornets trade

If anyone thought the Mark Williams trade fiasco was over, think again. Despite all parties returning to their teams and even facing off last night, not to mention the Charlotte Hornets not even disputing the matter with the NBA, this nightmare for Williams and perhaps the Hornets won't go away just yet.

The Los Angeles Lakers failed Williams on his physical, and the last bit of reporting indicated that they were concerned with his long-term outlook rather than his actual health right now. It's within their rights to rescind the trade for any concerns in a physical even if there weren't any issues, and that's what they did out of fear for how he'd hold up over time.

Statement from Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management: "The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025

Now, Williams' agent and founder of Excel Sports Management Jeff Schwartz has another wrinkle in the saga: the Lakers had no reason to fail his physical. Shams Charania reported that Schwartz said, "The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical."

Jeff Schwartz: "Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity." https://t.co/xpYih9CMRU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025

Charania also noted that Schwartz said Williams was present with the Lakers and ready to play and that the center "should have been given that opportunity." Because the Lakers rescinded the trade after the deadline, it fell apart as opposed to being open for modification.

What does this mean moving forward? It likely doesn't mean anything. This is still a fairly unprecedented situation, so the rules for what a team like the Hornets could do here aren't all that clear, but it's unlikely they could dispute the trade this far after the fact.

Plus, the Lakers could reasonably argue that this statement is PR and damage control on behalf of Williams so the NBA doesn't see him as damaged goods after this fiasco. This should be the final bit of news on this failed trade, though, so perhaps the nightmare scenario can finally be laid to rest.

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