It felt like a fever dream when the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Dončić before the 2025 deadline. The team won the deadline by a mile with that move alone, and just when fans didn't think it could get any better, the Lakers traded for Mark Williams. Well, that was until Los Angeles voided the deal due to Williams' physical.
Williams returned to Charlotte, and the Lakers received Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and their 2031 first-round pick back. Over the summer, a Williams trade did actually happen, as the Suns sent the Hornets Vasiilje Micić, the No. 29 pick in the draft, and a 2029 first-round pick for the 23-year-old center.
Williams didn't play at all for Phoenix during the preseason, not because he was hurt, but because the Suns wanted him to improve his conditioning and strength. They wanted to make sure he was in the right place before he stepped onto the court, given his injury history. Even with that explanation, it was still worth wondering how Williams would fare in the desert. So far, so good.
He is averaging 13 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and a career-high 1.4 steals per game for the Suns in 24.9 minutes across 21 games (18 starts), shooting a career-best 65% from the field. The 21 games that Williams has played are already more than the number he played in his second season (19), and nearly half of his career-high of 44. He's only missed four games this season.
Mark Williams is doing well with the Suns after failed Lakers trade
Los Angeles' trade for Williams (before it was rescinded) was praised for the most part, as it gave the Lakers a young center to pair with Dončić. There was criticism about the first-round pick that LA gave up for Williams due to concerns about his injury history. Losing Knecht stung, too, but in retrospect, that wouldn't have been a big deal.
The front office might've thought that it saved itself from trading for Williams, given the price it paid, but based on the first quarter of the season, it's hard not to think about what it'd be like to have him in Los Angeles. It certainly helps that Deandre Ayton is doing really well with the Lakers, though.
Williams has talked about how happy he is to be in Phoenix, and how the fit is perfect for him, so it seems like that's where he's meant to be. It would've been nice if he had been traded to a team outside the West, so the Lakers wouldn't have to be reminded of what could've been more often, but it is what it is.
It's still early, too, so maybe when fans look back at the rescinded trade years down the road, they will be glad that the Lakers didn't go through with it. Right now, that isn't necessarily the case.