Mark Williams Details His Shock Over Rescinded Lakers-Hornets Trade

Charlotte's big man shared his perspective of a potential career-altering trade getting rescinded.

Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) reacts after a foul against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at Spectrum Center. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams believed he was about to embark on a new future with the Los Angeles Lakers as the two teams appeared to have pulled off a swap at the NBA trade deadline. But the Lakers ended up rescinding the trade after Williams failed his physical, a stunning development for everyone involved, including Williams.

He recently opened up to the Charlotte Observer about the range of emotions he experienced through the process.

"Yeah, there’s not really much I can do," Williams said. "Like I said, I’ve been playing. You went from shocked to excited, back to shocked. You control what you can control."

The failed physical, which was subsequently disputed by the Hornets, came as a huge surprise to Williams considering how much court time he's logged since recovering from his latest injury.

"My agent told me. I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind," Williams added. "The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible. Since I’ve been back since the start of the year, I’ve played games with a lot of minutes. I feel like every injury I’ve had has been well-documented and I’ve recovered and been 100% since. So, I don’t know what went into that decision. I think that’s up to them."

As chance would have it, Williams's return to the court will come tonight against the Lakers in the arena that looked like it would become his new home.

"Can’t write it any other way right?” Williams said. “NBA script. It’s just what it is."

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