NBA Rumors: Mark Williams Trade Could Be 'Re-Explored' After Failed Lakers Deal

The Charlotte Hornets reportedly may once again consider trading center Mark Williams during the offseason after a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline fell apart.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, some rival executives believe the trade market for Williams might be "re-explored" by the Hornets once the 2024-25 season concludes.

Last month, the Hornets agreed to trade Williams for rookie guard Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

However, a couple of days later, the trade was rescinded due to Williams failing his physical exam, per ESPN's Shams Charania (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin).

As a result, the players were returned to their original teams, and Williams is set to finish up the season in Charlotte.

The 7-footer has remained productive since rejoining the Hornets, averaging 15.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 60.8 percent from the field over 12 games.

Overall, Williams has appeared in just 35 games this season due primarily to missing the first 20 games of the campaign because of injury.

Even so, he has enjoyed a career year with averages of 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest.

Originally the No. 15 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft out of Duke, Williams has been a force on a per-minute basis during his career, but durability has been a major issue.

Williams was limited to 43 games as a rookie and just 19 games last season, meaning he missed far more games than he played in entering the 2024-25 campaign.

On the surface, Williams seems like a good fit for a rebuilding team like Charlotte since he is just 23 years old and the Hornets can afford to take a wait-and-see approach with him in terms of his health.

The Hornets also don't have another center of Williams' ilk, so trading him would create a massive hole in the frontcourt.

Even so, the Hornets already tried to trade him once, which suggests the front office has questions about his ability to be an impact moving forward.

If the Hornets do make Williams available again during the offseason, Charlotte will likely have plenty of suitors given his age and penchant for impacting the game at both ends of the floor.