The proposed trade that was to send rookie Los Angeles Lakers’ sniper Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for big man Mark Williams, filling a vital need for the Lakers, was rescinded on Saturday. According to Marc Stein, it was because conditions of the trade could not be met.
In getting Williams, the Lakers were filling a need in the wake of the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic deal. That need, and a prime fit for years alongside Doncic, will have to wait. Knecht was bound to get many open looks playing alongside LaMelo Ball.
Not only do both teams not get what they wanted, but it creates a difficult situation as a player that was deemed suitable for a trade returns back to his original team.
On the positive side of things, Knecht’s game fits the type of style that you would want playing alongside LeBron James and Doncic, a catch and shoot player who will benefit from many open looks now that he is back on the Lakers. Knecht is averaging 9.4 points on 47 percent shooting in 21 minutes per game.
For the Hornets, Williams (15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 59 percent shooting, 25.0 minutes per game) should get more minutes and more opportunity now that the team has dealt Nick Richards to Phoenix, though the Hornets did trade for Suns’ big man Jusuf Nurkic at Thursday’s trade deadline.
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