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[Saba Sports News] The Los Angeles Lakers backed out of a major trade last week due to medical concerns, but one former NBA player wasn’t surprised to see the deal collapse.
On Wednesday, the Lakers agreed to acquire center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in a deal centered around Dalton Knecht. L.A. had hoped Williams would help fill the void left by trading Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić.
However, the trade never reached the finish line. On Saturday, the Lakers rescinded the deal after their medical staff reportedly found “multiple issues” during Williams’ physical.
Former NBA point guard Jeff Teague saw it coming. Before the Lakers officially pulled out, Teague speculated on his Club 520 podcast that Charlotte must have been aware of Williams’ medical concerns and wasn’t disclosing everything. Otherwise, he felt the trade made little sense for the Hornets.
“They got finessed, for sure. Mark Williams is a young big, but he’s always hurt,” Teague said. “So they like, ‘F–, we can get off this.’ They know something we don’t know, you know what I mean? You don’t just give up a big center, a young center averaging 15 (points) and damn near 10 (rebounds). It’s something they know that we don’t. That hip f–ed up, for real, you know what I mean? Like, he can get through it, but it ain’t gonna last long.”
Williams has averaged 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season, making him a valuable rim protector and lob threat—exactly what the Lakers were looking for.
Because the issues surfaced after the trade deadline, the Lakers and Hornets couldn’t renegotiate. However, it’s possible both sides revisit talks down the line.