Revisiting the Mark Williams Trade: Top or Flop for the Hornets?

Something about the 15th pick in the NBA draft seems sketchy. Call it what you want, bad mojo, bad luck, or simply a coincidence. But since Giannis Antetokounmpo (2013) and, to a lesser extent, Kelly Oubre Jr. (2015), none of the 15th picks have done much of anything in the association.

Some of them were standard busts, some of them were drafted into an unfortunate situation, and some had unfortunate injury issues. And then... Then there's Mark Williams, who you could probably put into each of those three categories.

When the Charlotte Hornets initially selected Williams, there was general excitement about his potential as a rim runner and shot blocker. But nagging injuries, especially in the back area, limited him to just 106 games in the purple and teal.

Whether it was because of those health concerns or the inconsistent on-court play, Charlotte decided to move on in February of 2025. Williams was traded to the Lakers before Los Angeles got cold feet and rescinded the trade for medical reasons.

That put the Hornets in a very unenviable position. The organization clearly had no more belief in Williams as a prospect but was now stuck with him until the end of the season. Finally, in June of 2025, Charlotte found another taker in the Phoenix Suns.

In return, Liam McNeeley, Vasilije Micic, and a 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of CLE, MIN, UTA; top 5 protected) made their way to North Carolina. Now, more than a year has passed, so it's fair to look back and give the trade a temporary label: Top of Flop?

Mark Williams' time in Phoenix

By most standards, Mark Williams' 2025-26 season with the Phoenix Suns was the best of his young NBA career. He started in 55 of the career-high 60 games he played, was one of the more efficient bigs inside the paint, and made a consistent impact defensively thanks to his long arms.

Sure, some of the weaknesses in his game that fans had seen in Charlotte persisted. He'd still seem apprehensive or a bit uncoordinated on offense and defense at times. At this point, you also know you're getting someone in Williams who is very limited offensively outside of the paint.

But all in all, with regard to his on-court performance, it was a good year up until the final few weeks of the season. Then, the injury bug returned. A stress reaction in the left foot sidelined Williams for a few weeks in March and then again in April, come playoff time, putting a disheartening end to an otherwise promising season.

To make matters worse, Williams recently suffered a torn labrum that will see him miss multiple months of the upcoming NBA season, just after he had inked a three-year, 38 million $ deal to return to the Suns in restricted free agency.

How has the return looked for the Hornets?

Interesting... kind of. Vasilije Micic, of course, was moved pretty much immediately to the Milwaukee Bucks and then headed back to Europe, and the 2029 first-round pick is a good asset, but its exact value is really unpredictable at this moment in time.

That leaves us with Liam McNeeley. The former UCONN Husky didn't have an easy go around for the Hornets' main roster in his rookie season. On a team that suddenly found itself competing for the postseason, a 20-year-old youngster with one college season under his belt wasn't exactly the most needed player.

Nevertheless, McNeeley did play in 31 games, looking not quite ready physically but definitely excitingly skillful on the offensive end. McNeeley also backed this up with a fantastic Summer League stint earlier this off-season, where he saw lots of on-ball reps and averaged 21.7 points per game on 52.6% from deep.

Top or Flop?

Top. Not TOP! But Top. A cautious Top. Mark Williams looks like he will never eclipse being a serviceable NBA center, especially because injuries keep holding him back.

Charlotte has already replaced him comfortably with Diabaté, Kalkbrenner, and Steinbach. McNeeley, while still very raw, looks like a long-term NBA wing as well. And the 2029 pick is a nice asset to possess, although it won't be the most valuable pick in the NBA.

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