The Los Angeles Lakers might have the ideal roster to push for a championship run as soon as this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers have made another surprising acquisition before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, landing 23-year-old Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and two first-round picks. It shows the team is already committing to building around Luka Doncic, with Williams fitting the archetype of center Doncic found success with on the Dallas Mavericks last season.
This trade might have sacrificed the potential of Knecht’s shooting next to two of the best perimeter creators in NBA history LeBron James and Luka. However, it takes a big bet that Mark Williams stays healthy after playing just 85 games through the first three seasons of his career. Otherwise, his skill set might be exactly what the new-look Lakers need.
Let’s take a look at the new Lakers rotation after completing this deal.
The Lakers might have filled the biggest hole on their roster with the acquisition of Mark Williams. Despite Rob Pelinka saying they might wait for the summer to address their hole at center after trading Anthony Davis, he’s moved fast to get Williams to be their center of the future. The 23-year-old is a mobile big who is a rim deterrent, an aggressive rebounder, and shines offensively with rim finishes.
Given how Doncic elevated Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in Dallas, this is a move that will fill everyone with optimism. It addresses the only major hole on their roster with arguably the best option they could’ve found on the trade market. Other linked bigs like Walker Kessler or Myles Turner don’t bring the same skillset as Williams, one which is proven to thrive alongside Doncic.
The rest of the lineup stays the same, as Reaves, Hachimura, and LeBron have been season-long starters for the Lakers. Reaves provides offensive versatility next to Doncic and could have a very productive two-man game with Luka based on Doncic’s success with high-scoring guards.
