Hornets trade Mark Williams to Suns for two first round picks

There will be no reunion between the Lakers and Mark Williams as the Hornets dealt the center to the Suns during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

The Lakers won’t be returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak, this offseason.

After his trade to the Lakers was rescinded 48 hours after the deadline in February, Mark Williams will find a new home in Phoenix next season. The Hornets and Suns agreed to a deal that will send Williams out west in return for the No. 29 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and a 2029 first round pick, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.

It might have been unlikely for the Lakers and Hornets to work together on a deal this summer given how poorly things went down during the season. However, as much as Charlotte may protest, Williams was eventually traded for less than the Lakers initially agreed to.

The initial trade between the Lakers and Hornets sent Dalton Knecht, a 2031 first round pick and a 2030 pick swap — as well as Cam Reddish — to Charlotte for Williams. While the pick swap would have been unlikely to convey, Knecht was a prospect held in high regard at that point in the season.

Whether the Lakers would have even had interest in Williams again is unclear. While they rescinded the trade in February, perhaps there would have been interest in a deal at a lower price. However, if the asking price was multiple first round picks, then the Lakers couldn’t have reached that specific mark.

It was also going to be likely that, even if the Lakers were open to trading for Williams, it would have been a Plan B or Plan C sort of option, coming later in the summer. Dealing for him now was unlikely as well.

Ultimately, once the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement in February, reaching one in July was goign to be an uphill battle. This now means there is one fewer center on the market for the Lakers to trade for this summer, too.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.