Report: Reason revealed behind Lakers rescinding Dalton Knecht-Mark Williams trade

The Los Angeles Lakers thought they had traded for a new center ahead of the NBA trade deadline, reportedly acquiring Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Dalton Knecht and a few other assets. A few days later, the trade was rescinded by the league, meaning Knecht would head back to the Lakers while Williams stayed in Charlotte.

ESPN’s Shams Charania recently revealed exactly why the deal did not go through, citing issues with a physical from Williams. The team had to fail him on it but not for what most people might think. Back issues have been a problem for Williams however, Charania says that’s not the issue.

“Mark Williams’ physical with the Lakers showed multiple issues and the team failed him on the exam, sources tell ESPN,” Charania said via X. “The physical was not failed due to his back, however.”

Charania then appeared on ESPN to further explain the situation during halftime of Saturday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

“Sources tell me that the Lakers have failed Mark Williams on his physical exam,” he said. “I’m told they found multiple issues in that exam and it’s about the extent of the injury of what they got and what they found in that exam. Clearly, they found some issues and people have talked about his back being an issue. I’m told that is not the reason of the failed physical. So, they found a couple of other issues in the physical exam that they did not expect.”

With the NBA trade deadline now passed, there is not much either team can do. Knecht will get to continue to play alongside the likes of LeBron James and eventually, share the court with the newly-acquired Luka Doncic. One of college basketball’s best players last season, Knecht is still early into his NBA career.

Williams goes back to Charlotte and apparently, has a few medical issues to sort through. As Charania mentioned, the back injury has been a problem and has been the main reason as to why Williams has not seen the court. Los Angeles must have caught something that Charlotte will look to fix moving forward.

Feb. 19 is now maybe a date to circle on your calendar. The Hornets will come into Crypto.com Arena to play the Lakers, having people wondering what if. It’s the final meeting of the season between the two.