Alex Len to Sign Lakers Contract After Rescinded Mark Williams Trade, Pacers Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers have the frontcourt depth they were looking for after their trade for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams was rescinded.

Los Angeles announced Tuesday it signed Alex Len and waived Christian Wood in a corresponding move.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Len previously intended to join the Indiana Pacers but changed his mind when the Williams trade situation created this opportunity.

Wood has not appeared in a game this season while recovering from left knee surgery. Ideally for Los Angeles, Len will not have as many durability concerns while providing much-needed frontcourt depth for the stretch run.

The Lakers created the need for more bigs when they moved Anthony Davis in the trade that landed them Luka Dončić. Jaxson Hayes has been solid, but there weren't many surefire options they could trust in a postseason series outside of him with the loss of Davis.

Williams was the front office's answer to the frontcourt question, but the trade was rescinded after he didn't pass a physical. Durability concerns have been a theme for him, as he played 43 games as a rookie in 2022-23 and 19 games in his second season in 2023-24.

"We will find another center path," a team source told ESPN's Dave MeMenamin. "The path is always there. We just got to put in the work to find it."

That path is Len, who has bounced around from the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards throughout his career since entering the league as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft.

He has appeared in 36 games this season and is averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.2 minutes a night. He surely won't be much more than a secondary contributor for the Lakers, but he at least provides veteran depth and the ability to spell Hayes when necessary.