The Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves through the NBA by trading for superstar Luka Doncic just days before the trade deadline, only to follow it up with another surprise when they canceled a deal for 7-foot center Mark Williams shortly after.

For a brief moment, the Lakers seemed to strike a rare balance: bolstering their current roster for LeBron James while securing the franchise’s future. But that vision quickly unraveled, leaving the team in a new reality.

The Doncic trade, which cost the Lakers Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, was finalized nearly a week before the Williams deal fell apart. The Lakers had agreed to send rookie Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams, but the trade was voided after Williams failed the team’s physical exam.

Sources revealed to ESPN’s Shams Charania that the failure wasn’t due to his past back injury but rather other concerning health issues.

Now, with Knecht and Reddish set to return to the team, the Lakers face an awkward reunion and a roster that, as GM Rob Pelinka put it, still has “work to do.” The catch? The trade deadline has passed, and the team’s needs especially for LeBron’s immediate title hopes and Doncic’s long-term vision aren’t aligning as hoped.

Pelinka’s first major move with Doncic, who personally pushed for Williams, fell flat, leaving the Lakers with Jaxson Hayes as their starting center. Hayes, a young backup, is joined by Christian Wood (out with knee surgery) and two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III as the team’s only big men.

Williams, at 23, was seen as a perfect fit to grow alongside the 25-year-old Doncic while providing a physical presence for playoff matchups against teams like the Rockets, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Thunder. But after a week of bold moves, the Lakers’ aggressive strategy became a partial misfire.

The team failed to fully satisfy Doncic, who will be a free agent in 2026, and missed a chance to maximize LeBron’s 22nd season by not landing the big man Pelinka admitted they needed. While keeping Knecht and a 2031 first-round pick felt like avoiding a risky deal, the Lakers now must pivot quickly to maintain momentum and manage fallout.

Before the Williams trade was agreed upon, there was internal debate within the Lakers about his value, given his injury history. Williams has missed nearly two-thirds of Charlotte’s games since 2022 due to various injuries.

Despite this, the Lakers’ revamped medical staff, led by Dr. Leroy Sims, felt confident after vetting his health. Coach JJ Redick, who connected with Williams through their Duke ties, and senior adviser Kurt Rambis also backed the move, believing in his potential. But new concerns emerged during the physical, forcing the team to reassess.

Pelinka made the trade partly to build goodwill with Doncic and address roster needs, but the cost Knecht and a first-round pick was steep compared to other deadline deals. The Lakers briefly considered other big men like Jericho Sims, but he was traded elsewhere.

The Hornets, meanwhile, claimed they only moved Williams after aggressive pursuit by the Lakers, framing the situation differently.

Now, the Lakers must repair their relationship with Knecht and address perceptions of front-office missteps. The market for centers has dried up, with players like Alex Len signing elsewhere.

The team could waive someone like Wood or Reddish to sign a buyout player, but for now, Hayes has stepped up, averaging solid numbers during a recent winning streak. Still, questions remain about his readiness for playoff pressure, especially without Davis.

Doncic and Hayes have a budding connection, with Hayes recalling past trade talks and expressing excitement about playing with Doncic. But how Doncic and James view Hayes will test their partnership, especially given James’ long-standing push for roster upgrades.

James, in his 22nd season, sees every playoff as his last shot at a fifth ring, while Doncic, eager to rebound from last year’s Finals loss, has more time but the Lakers need to keep him happy to secure his future.

The trade for Doncic was a bold move, and James, despite losing Davis, understood the business logic. Both stars have praised each other, but their differing timelines create tension the Lakers couldn’t fully resolve this deadline. In the high-stakes game of maintaining the Lakers’ legacy, every move matters.

Trading Davis, who wanted to play power forward alongside another big, was painful but sent him to a contender with a familiar coach and GM. For the Lakers, Doncic is the new face of the franchise, but keeping him long-term means navigating the same risks they faced when Dwight Howard left in 2013.

As Pacers coach Rick Carlisle put it, the Lakers are a “larger-than-life, legacy franchise,” and this wild string of events Doncic’s arrival, Williams’ failed trade, and the clash of timelines only adds to the drama.

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.