The Los Angeles Lakers famously looked at Mark Williams' physical and said it was not worth the assets they had agreed to give up for the former Charlotte Hornets center. The trade was rescinded and all parties involved had to awkwardly return to where they came from.
Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick proved too much for Rob Pelinka to give up for that big of an injury risk. The major problem from there was that given this trade was made at the deadline, there was no time to renegotiate.
Maybe under different circumstances the Lakers and Hornets could have agreed to a different package with altered compensation that would have made the concerns more acceptable. Alas, after the awkward fiasco, Williams returned to Charlotte before getting rerouted to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason.
The Hornets wound up receiving Vasa Micic, Liam McNeeley, and a 2029 first-round pick from the Suns in exchange for their center. Reddish has since been released by the Lakers. Knecht is the only member of the failed trade still stuck in the same environment since that dreaded moment.
Dalton Knecht's failure to launch in Los Angeles is easy to explain
Knecht looked promising enough in the first half of his rookie season that the Lakers sharpshooter earned a spot among the rising stars at NBA All-Star festivities. Things have simply not been that smooth ever since.
For his part, Knecht had continue to say all the right things about putting things behind him and refocusing on where he is. The results ultimately have not matched.
Knecht fell out of JJ Redick's rotation by the end of the 2024-25 season. The Lakers sharpshooter struggled with his biggest strength in summer league, greatly diminishing his trade value in the process.
Now in 2025-26, Jake LaRavia is comfortably playing the role many would have envisioned for Knecht, making the latter replaceable. It feels like only a matter of time before the Lakers give up on making things work in Los Angeles for the former Tennessee star.
Williams, for his part, has been solid over in Phoenix. The former Laker for a day has largely served as the team's starting center and produced the desired results. The Suns center has scored, grabbed boards, and been an effective defender.
Those gifts feel wasted on a middling team like the Suns, as opposed to a potential contender.
Things may still ultimately prove to work out in the Lakers' favor if that 2031 pick is included as a key piece in an upgrade before the trade deadline this season. However, it is fair to wonder if the seeds of doubt and regret have been planted in Los Angeles just a bit.