Hornets Trade Mark Williams To Suns During The NBA Draft

Mark Williams is officially being traded, barring another failed physical, from the Charlotte Hornets to the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported during Wednesday night’s NBA draft.

In return, the Hornets received the 29th pick in the draft, along with a 2029 first-round pick. The 2029 pick will be the least favorable of the Cleveland Cavaliers’, Utah Jazz’s and Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round picks and is 1-5 protected, sources said. Additionally, the Suns sent guard Vasilije Micić to the Hornets, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. He was just sent to the Suns in February in the Jusuf Nurkic trade. Micic’s $8.1 million team option will be exercised by the Suns, sources said.

It was an interesting move by the Suns, as they will also center Khaman Maluach from the Houston Rockets’ No. 10 pick on Wednesday. The pick was originally the Suns’, then was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, who then traded it to the Houston Rockets, who then sent it back to the Suns in the trade for Kevin Durant on Sunday, along with Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and five second-round picks. So, the Suns gained two new centers in a matter of minutes.

“Mark has been in the league for a couple of years, and I’m going to learn a lot from him,” Maluach said. “I’m going to learn how to navigate and how to get better and what stuff I need to do to be able to play throughout the whole year and get better.”

Williams was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February after the team sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. However, that Williams trade was rescinded when there were “multiple issues” that came up in his physical before joining Los Angeles. Williams was shocked and confused when he learned he failed the physical.

The Hornets already drafted Duke guard Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick on Wednesday. The Hornets used the No. 29 pick to select guard Liam McNeely out of UConn.