The Los Angeles Lakers have filled their big man need.
Early Thursday morning, the Lakers dealt rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick to Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, according to Shams Charania.
Knecht averaged 9.4 points on 36 percent from downtown in 48 games as a Laker, while Reddish played 48 games with the team last season and 31 this season.
In Knecht, the Hornets are getting a sharpshooter who will fit well with LaMelo Ball's playmaking abilities. Ball, Brandon Miller, and Knecht is a solid young nucleus going forward.
Williams, a 21-year-old 7-footer out of Duke, was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He is averaging 16.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 25 minutes per game this season. He gives the Lakers the size that they let go in the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal, while also, at just 21, giving the team a future big man to pair with Doncic for the coming seasons. Williams is an athletic, physical player who rebounds at a high level. He is an ideal fit for the Lakers not just for this season but moving forward.
If the Lakers did not fully enter the title picture with the Doncic trade, they are completely in the frame now.
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