Mark Williams believes Lakers had second thoughts about trading for him

Mark Williams doesn’t think his physical health was the sole reason the Lakers rescinded the trade that would’ve sent him to Los Angeles.

The Lakers' game against the Hornets on Wednesday led to an awkward moment. Weeks ago, Mark Williams was dealt to the Lakers but after he failed the physical, the trade was rescinded.

No one saw this coming and it means all the players involved know that their team traded them and they still had to return. On Wednesday then, all three players were active for the clash between Los Angeles and Charlotte.

With basically no hope of this trade coming back to life, all that’s left is the PR spin on who is to blame.

And we’ve gotten plenty of that from the Charlotte side of things. Williams’ agent has gone on the record stating that his client is healthy and, as Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports reported on Thursday, Williams himself doesn’t think his physical was the main reason the trade was rescinded.

“I don’t know if, for them, it was what they gave up, or what went into that,” Williams said following his first game back with Charlotte on Wednesday, which happened to be a 100-97 win over the Lakers. “But I don’t think it was solely because of my physical. I’ve been playing all year, and I think my minutes and my production on the court speaks for itself.”

Unless the Lakers reveal Williams’ physical, which is very illegal, this will just be the Lakers word against the Hornets word until Charlotte finally lets it go.

From Williams' perspective, it makes sense that him and his agent would be defensive about his health being in question. It’s not exactly good for your value in the NBA if a team says you are such a health risk that they have to walk back on an already agreed upon deal and after the trade deadline, no less.

In the end, unless the Hornets actually pursue some kind of rebuttal with the NBA, this deal is dead. All players have returned to their respective teams and it’s time to move on.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.