A Deal That Never Was

The Los Angeles Lakers thought they had pulled off a major move for their future when they struck a trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire 23-year-old center Mark Williams. With his athleticism, rim protection, and ability to work as a lob threat alongside Luka Doncic, Williams seemed like the ideal long-term piece to bolster the Lakers’ frontcourt.

But in a stunning turn of events, the trade collapsed before it could be finalized. On Saturday night, the deal was officially rescinded due to the Hornets “failing to meet a condition of the trade.” This sent Williams back to Charlotte and returned Dalton Knecht to Los Angeles. The root of the problem? Williams’ medical evaluation raised multiple red flags, concerns the Lakers simply couldn’t overlook.

Williams has dealt with injuries before, but Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had initially expressed full confidence in his health before the physical was completed. Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Pelinka assured fans and media that Williams’ past issues weren’t a cause for concern.

“We fully vetted his health stuff, led by Dr. Kris Jones at UCLA Health and Dr. Leroy Sims on our team, and he’s had no surgeries,” Pelinka stated. “So these are just parts of, he’s still growing into his body. We vetted the injuries he’s had, and we’re not concerned about those. We will have a chance to have a physical and continue to do a deep dive and make sure that what we’ve talked about and seen in the records… So we’ll still have that step in the process of doing a full physical before the trade becomes official.”

Unfortunately for Pelinka and the Lakers, the results of that deep dive proved to be a dealbreaker. The trade was scrapped entirely, with no chance of renegotiation since the issue surfaced after the trade deadline had passed.

Lakers Left Scrambling for a Center

Now, the Lakers find themselves in a difficult position. The frontcourt was already a weak spot on the roster before the attempted trade, and with the deal falling apart, the problem remains unresolved. The team is now left with only Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko as options in the middle an unsettling reality considering the physical battles of a potential playoff run.

With no option to revisit the trade market, the Lakers will have to explore the buyout market for reinforcements. However, given the restrictions they face, landing a quality big man won’t be easy.

The one silver lining? The return of Dalton Knecht, who can provide valuable shooting on the wing. LeBron James and Luka Doncic will benefit from another reliable perimeter option, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers’ biggest issue remains unresolved.

For now, Pelinka and the Lakers front office will have to go back to the drawing board—this time, hopefully, with a little more caution before making big proclamations about a player’s health.

The CHGO Bulls crew dives into Chicago’s tough 132-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors, where the Bulls squandered a 24-point lead. Everything seemed to be going their way until Steph Curry flipped the switch, dropping 24 of his 34 points in a scorching third-quarter performance.

The game also marked Jimmy Butler’s first appearance in a Warriors jersey, adding another layer of intrigue to the night. Despite the collapse, Bulls fans got their first glimpse of newcomers Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones in action.

On a more positive note, Coby White continued his impressive scoring stretch, providing a consistent spark for Chicago. Meanwhile, rookie Matas Buzelis remained aggressive in his second straight start, showing flashes of his potential. While the loss stung, there were still a few bright spots for Bulls fans to hold onto as the team looks to bounce back.

Brad Stevens is not the kind of guy to hit the panic button. In fact, he probably doesn’t even have one installed in his office. As the Celtics navigate an up-and-down start to 2025, the team’s President of Basketball Operations made it clear that he remains confident in his squad despite their inconsistencies.

Stevens, who rarely steps up to the podium, took some time on Thursday to address the team’s current state. While Celtics fans might be sweating over their team’s erratic performances, Stevens seems to have a much cooler outlook.

“Yeah, they were buoyed by some blowouts,” he joked when discussing the analytics behind Boston’s recent stretch. “I’m kidding.”

Well, maybe not entirely. Boston’s numbers have been a bit skewed by a few lopsided victories, and Stevens admitted that while they’ve had some close losses they probably should’ve won, they’ve also benefited from a handful of 30- to 40-point wins. The takeaway? This team is still very capable—on both ends of the court.

“It’s a long year,” he said. “We have played late and we hope to play late. We know that nothing’s given, but the reality is we also know there are going to be ups and downs and we can’t ride those.”

While the trade deadline came and went with little movement from Boston, the Celtics did make a subtle but important addition, bringing in veteran wing Torrey Craig through the buyout market. Still, their biggest challenge isn’t external, it’s internal. Boston has had moments of brilliance followed by inexplicable no-shows, like their recent blowout loss to the Mavericks, where they trailed by double digits from the start and never recovered.

A Season of Highs, Lows, and ‘Flip the Switch’ Debates

Just days before the Dallas debacle, the Celtics looked like they were finding their groove. They held off the Cavs in a gritty win and pulled off a 26-point comeback against the Sixers. Even Joe Mazzulla, who usually finds the positives in tough moments, had to challenge his starters at halftime in Philly, asking if they wanted to be benched. The response? One of Boston’s best halves of basketball this season.

Yet, inconsistency remains a concern. One night they’re suffocating an opponent defensively, and the next, they’re letting a shorthanded squad run them off the floor. Injuries have played a role Jrue Holiday’s lingering shoulder issue has kept him out, Kristaps Porzingis has been in and out of the lineup, and Sam Hauser has been fighting through a back issue. But there’s also an element of… let’s call it malaise.

“We’re second in the league in turnover percentage, and we’re top in two-point percentage, so the process is what we’ve done over the course of 45 games,” Mazzulla explained, reinforcing the idea that the journey matters more than any individual win or loss.

But let’s be real: Celtics fans have seen this movie before. The team’s reliance on “flipping the switch” has been a constant storyline in recent years. Can they turn it on when it matters most? That remains to be seen.

Stevens, for one, isn’t losing sleep over it. The front office didn’t make a big splash at the deadline, partly because their hands were tied financially, but mostly because they still believe in this group.

“In our situation, with our team this year, today was boring as hell,” Stevens said of the trade deadline. “There wasn’t gonna be anything going. The phones didn’t ring. We had already had any discussions that we were probably gonna have, and we just weren’t gonna do anything major because at the end of the day, even through our ups and downs over the last six weeks, what gives us our best chance of having a chance to win? That’s this group playing a little bit more like itself more of the time.”

And, of course, Stevens ever the pragmatist acknowledged that while the ups and downs can be frustrating, he’s still encouraged.

“I’m encouraged by where we’re headed with that and never really wavered with our belief in that,” he said. “But (we) ride the ups and downs like the rest of the fans and everybody else sometimes.”

With tough games against the Knicks, Heat, and Spurs looming before the All-Star break, Boston’s journey is far from over. If Stevens is right, though, this team still has what it takes to make a deep playoff run. And if he’s wrong? Well, that panic button might just make its way into his office after all.