Mark Williams traded to the Lakers: Key takeaways and what it means for the Charlotte Hornets' future

Breaking down the stunning Mark Williams trade.

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In one of the most shocking trade deadline moves in Charlotte Hornets history, Jeff Peterson has sent starting center Mark Williams to join LeBron James, Luka Dončic, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Williams is less than a month removed from playing the best stretch of basketball of his young career. In a five game cluster starting on January 12th in Portland, Williams put up 24 points and 16 rebounds against the Trail Blazers, 31 points and 13 rebounds against the Jazz, 19 points and 19 rebounds against the Bulls, 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Mavericks, and 38 points and nine rebounds against the Grizzlies.

That span of games seemingly cemented Williams' status as the Hornets' future of the center. Not so fast my friend.

Now, Williams is locked-in as the starting center of the Western Conference's latest super team. Let's dive into the ramifications of the latest NBA trade deadline stunner.

The Mark Williams of it all

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Williams' raw talent level is undeniable.

Charlotte's former starting center displayed a deft offensive game in his return from a year-long absence that carried the Hornets through the doldrums of winter. His pick-and-roll chemistry with LaMelo Ball was developing into a legitimate weapon that Charles Lee's screen-heavy offense could be built around.

However, concerns about Williams' long-term viability as a starting center were always shrouding his indelible talent.

Injuries plagued the first three years of Mark's career. The former Duke Blue Devil has played a total of 84 games as a professional, barely a full season's worth, in his three-year tenure with the Hornets. A myriad of ailments including an ankle sprain, a dislocated thumb, a back contusion, and a foot injury have often turned Williams into a Bigfoot-esque character in Charlotte basketball lore since he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He's been an idea more than an impactful player for much of his career.

To add to those injury concerns, Williams' defense fell off a cliff in 2025. Opposing centers bullied Williams night-after-night, exposing his lack of interior strength, timing, and feel following a year off from basketball. His movements have looked more labored as he's racked up minutes, and maybe it was due to the lack of meaningful basketball the Hornets have played since the new year, but his effort levels have decreased in recent contests as well.

On the surface, the Lakers have acquired an athletic 23-year-old center who will fit the hole at the five in their starting lineup perfectly.

If you dig a little deeper, Williams' profile boasts numerous concerns that may have had Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee hesitant to commit to him as the Hornets' long-term plan at center. Charlotte's staff knows Williams better than anyone, and if they're willing to pivot away from him this early, that may tell us everything we need to know.

Dalton Knecht is finally on the Hornets

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Dalton Knecht was the player most linked to Charlotte ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft before they ended up selecting Tidjane Salaün with the sixth overall pick. At the time, and to this day, the selection of Salaün as a high-upside, future-facing pick over Knecht is totally defensible. Seven months after the 2024 Draft, the Salaün/Knecht debates look a little silly in hindsight as the pair will take the floor together as soon as Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

Charlotte desperately needs a player like Knecht. As his best, the former Tennessee Volunteer is a connective offensive piece who can fill it up from the perimeter. The Hornets average the fifth-most three-point attempts in the league but shoot the fourth-worst percentage; Knecht will assist on that front immediately.

He's a 23-year-old prospect, but because he spent five years in college, his game is more refined than the average rookie. Knecht will slot into Charlotte's starting five between LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges (if they don't get traded before 3 P.M. on Thursday because at this point who knows what happens next) on day one and become one of the Hornets' primary offensive weapons. His defense will be tested by opposing wings, but wins in 2025 aren't the goal for the Hornets, nor should they ever have been, so he'll be doing a good bit of learning on the fly without W's to show for it.

Knecht will have free reign to figure out how to play NBA basketball on a team that doesn't need him to deliver consistent results right away, which should allow him to flourish into a dangerous tertiary scoring option in a season or two.

More draft capital in the Queen City

The key to the trade is the unprotected 2031 Lakers pick that Jeff Peterson acquired. If the Dallas Mavericks are correct in their thinking about the low ceiling of a future led by Luka Dončic, or the Slovenian superstar inks a long-term contract away from Los Angeles, the value of that pick is limitless.

If Dončic ages like a LeBron James favorite, fine red wine, Charlotte is looking at a future pick in the late 20s of the 2031 NBA Draft that doesn't move the needle too much.

Moussa Diabaté, the floor is yours

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Diabaté has 100% earned a chance to be the Hornets' starting center.

The French big-man has been one of, if not the best, stories in Charlotte this basketball season. His relentless effort on the glass has singlehandedly swung quarters in the Hornets favor, and it will be great to see him rewarded for his quick development.

More roster moves are likely to come before the 3 P.M. NBA trade deadline, but soon after it, Charlotte will assuredly convert Diabate's two-way contract into a standard NBA deal that he absolutely deserves.

Overall thoughts

I like this deal for the Hornets.

There's an argument to be made that Charlotte is moving Mark Williams near the peak of his value. His recent performances have raised red flags around his conditioning, overall level of health, and again, his viability as a long-term starting center. Without above-average talent (i.e. LaMelo Ball) around him, the Hornets found out quickly that Williams can't serve as both a primary offensive option and carry the team's defense as a rim protector.

They acquired a nice prospect in Knecht and continued to add to their treasure trove of future draft capital. It's another future-focused move that small market teams like Charlotte have to make in order to build a deep roster of home-grown talent that can compete with the Lakers and Celtics of the world.

On first blush, I'd give Charlotte a B for this trade, because there is a world in which Mark Williams gets re-invigorated by the City of Stars and turns out to be the next great center in the long line of Los Angeles giants. In that unlikely world, Charlotte would receive a significantly worse grade when re-visiting the trade down the line, capping the current grade's ceiling.

For now, this looks like another solid move in a string of them for Jeff Peterson.

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