The Charlotte Hornets traded Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers before Los Angeles rescinded the trade over some concerns about his health. The expectation is that the Hornets will attempt to trade Williams again this summer.
How easy will that be? What teams will want him after that debacle? According to one NBA insider, Williams should be a target for more than a couple of teams.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz listed the dream targets for every team, and Williams showed up four times. First was the Boston Celtics. “The Celtics should be looking for young centers on low-cost contracts if Porziņģis is traded, especially with Al Horford set to turn 39 in a few weeks and hitting free agency. Both [Walker] Kessler and Williams are still on their rookie contracts and would provide rim protection and rebounding,” he argued.
Second listed was the Chicago Bulls. In fact, all three of their dream additions were centers. Nikola Vucevic is getting old, and the Bulls have key players at point guard, power forward, and other spots on the floor, so center is one of their biggest remaining needs, and Williams would fit that perfectly.
Finally, if the Toronto Raptors want to add to the core they’re building with Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, they could use Williams. He’s 23, so he’d give them a “young center to build around” as they try and escape the NBA basement.
Ironically, the Lakers were not listed as a landing spot for Williams, even though they proved how badly they needed him with a first-round exit in which Rudy Gobert had his way down low. All three of LA’s targets were centers, but they may be too afraid to go down the Williams road again, no matter how desperate the need is.
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