Preparing For Post-LeBron World, Lakers Acquire Mark Williams From Hornets, Send Away Cam Reddish & Dalton Knecht

The Los Angeles Lakers finalized a trade Wednesday night to acquire Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap. Williams will likely step into the role recently vacated by star big man Anthony Davis.

Williams, standing well above seven feet tall, will give the Lakers much-needed size after they sized down their starting five to acquire Luka Doncic. Many regard the trade for the Slovenian superstar as a supremely wise long-term decision, but it did give Los Angeles gaps to fill in the paint on defense. Williams should do some of the work to make up the difference.

In his third season with the Hornets, Williams has appeared in 23 games and is currently scoring 15.6 points with 9.6 rebounds per game. With his improved scoring, he is on track to have the best season in his short career. He is an ideal replacement for Davis, a young big man slowly but surely finding his way in the NBA. The team has shifted its focus from building around LeBron James to preparing for Doncic to eventually take over. Williams could be an excellent long-term addition.

Adding a lesser-known big man as massive, splashier trades occur around the league this week may diminish the impact of the move. But adding a big man ahead of a presumptive playoff run could easily prove integral to any playoff success the Lakers have. Doncic and James have both proven that it’s immensely hard to carry a team to a championship alone. They’ll need help, particularly in areas where they don’t typically contribute.

While Los Angeles prepares a new system around James and Doncic, the Hornets, currently 12-36, have struggled to build around star point guard LaMelo Ball. This trade could help matters in the long run, however. Reddish has not panned out as a reliable starter over the course of six NBA seasons, but Knecht has shown flashes of potential in his rookie year, scoring 9.4 points per game.