On Thursday evening, LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to 120-112 win over the Golden State Warriors (at home).
After the game, the Lakers announced their trade (with the Charlotte Hornets) for Mark Williams.
Via Lakers.com: “The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. In return, the Lakers sent guard Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, a future first round draft pick and a pick-swap to the Hornets.”
James was asked about the deal for the former Duke star.
James (h/t Spectrum SportsNet): “I haven’t even had time to really wrap my head around it. Obviously, young, athletic big, he’s gonna give us another lob threat… I was surprised that we were able to get him to be completely honest. Just seeing his length… He’s 23-years-old. Looking forward to getting him here.”
Williams comes to the Lakers with averages of 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest while shooting 58.6% from the field in 23 games.
He was the 15th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (and is in his third season).
Via Jovan Buha of The Athletic: “In a small press conference with reporters pregame, Lakers VP of basketball ops and GM Rob Pelinka said that Charlotte reached out to LA regarding their need for a center. The Mark Williams trade was negotiated and agreed upon between the two sides in less than two days.”
The Lakers are the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 30-19 record in 49 games.
Former UCLA star Jaylen Clark got a late start to his first NBA season.The Minnesota Timberwolves guard missed his entire first professional season with a ruptu
Lebron James and Luka Doncic have not played a game together yet since the blockbuster trade, but the anticipation of the two on the court together is palpable.
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Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesIncoming: Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, AJ Johnson, Sidy Cissoko, Colby Jones, Alex Len, Reggie Jackson (waived), 2025 first-round pic