The Hornets drafted Williams in the first round of the 2022 draft.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β The Charlotte Hornets traded center Mark Williams, the team’s 2022 first-round draft pick, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for some young talent and and future draft picks.
League sources confirmed the deal to WCNC Charlotte early Thursday morning. The Hornets will receive Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a 2031 first-round pick in the deal. The teams also swapped a draft pick in the 2030 draft.
Williams, a Duke standout, averaged 11.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game during his career with Charlotte. This season, Williams was averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game.
Williams has missed significant time with injuries during his Hornets tenure. The center has played in just 84 of a possible 212 games.
Knecht, who the Lakers drafted with the first pick in the 2024 draft, averages 9.5 points per game. He shoots an impressive 36% on 3-pointers, an area the Hornets have struggled this season.Β
The Hornets are hoping to bolster their roster with young talent and build for the future. Charlotte lost rising star Brandon Miller to injury this season and leading scorer LaMelo Ball has missed time with ankle injuries. These problems have hurt the Hornets this year.
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
