The Charlotte Hornets are trading Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a pick swap in 20230, and an unprotected 2031 first round pick.
Just In: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/QGUwETssGd
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
The Hornets add to their haul of future first round picks and also add a talented rookie in Dalton Knecht. Bobby Marks made note of the nice cache of picks the Hornets have coming.
The Hornets have nicely built their first-round picks in future years
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 6, 2025
*⃣Own first in the next 7 years
*⃣Top-14 protected first from Miami (2027, unprotected in 2028)
*⃣Top-2 protected first from Dallas (2027)
*⃣Right to swap firsts with LA Lakers (2030)
*⃣Unprotected first from…
That said, I don’t know if I like this. Mark Williams has been playing some of the best ball of his career and looked like he was a long term foundational piece of the franchise. Over his last nine games, Williams has averaged 21.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. The return is pretty good, but I don’t know if it’s worth it given how good Williams has been and how young he is. And for what it’s worth, he’s younger than Knecht, the rookie the Hornets got in return.
Apparently the Hornets were interested in Knecht as the centerpiece of the deal, which is fine but also a bit frustrating given that they could have simply drafted him eight months ago. Instead they took Tidjane Salaün, who is extremely young but also looks two years away from being two years away a lot of the time. It’s also frustrating watching the Hornets take part in helping the Lakers build another powerhouse since Williams will be the perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
As for the Hornets in the here and now, they get a pure shooter that’s had some bright flashes in a somewhat hot and cold rookie season. He had a five game stretch in mid November where he averaged nearly 23 points a game and scored a career high 37. He’s also had a couple stretches with multiple 0-fer games from three in quick succession. You expect the consistency to improve with experience, but he is going to be 24 years old in a couple of months.
The Hornets also get Cam Reddish, who theoretically fits the mold of defense-minded wing that the team has been seeking out all season. However, I think he’s more valuable as an expiring contract and will walk at the end of the season.
The Hornets obviously have to make more moves in the coming days; Taj Gibson is technically the only center on the main roster with Moussa Diabate still on a two-way contract. My guess is the organization values a different type of center than Williams and Nick Richards are. I imagine they’d like to continue to model themselves after the Celtics and build with centers that allow the team to play five out basketball.
I’ll reserve my full judgment until I see how the rest of the trade deadline shakes out, but for now, I’m uneasy. The Hornets gave up the best player in the deal, and while the future assets look good, it’s hard to stomach watching an ascending 23 year old get sent away.
