The Charlotte Hornets are entering the All-Star break losers of their previous three games and nine of the past 10. However, the slump is far from their only concern during the week-long respite. The fallout from the rescinded trade with the Los Angeles Lakers continues to linger, especially after the Hornets have reportedly filed a grievance with the league to dispute Los Angeles' move.
Some might think that Charlotte is trying to save face, as many folks have accused the organization of selling the Lakers a lemon and attempting to withhold Mark Williams' medical condition from them. But it appears that the Hornets were not in the wrong. ESPN's Bobby Marks said they provided everything required of them and that Los Angeles simply had a different opinion about Williams.
Interestingly, the Hornets might actually have another reason for challenging the Lakers' decision.
Charlotte might have filed the dispute on behalf of Mark Williams
James Plowright of CLTure.org wondered how the big man might be feeling now. Williams is arguably one of the losers of the reversal of the trade because his value has significantly dipped owing to the uncertainty surrounding his health.
The sports scribe brought up the case of Donatas Motiejunas at the 2016 trade deadline when the Houston Rockets shipped him to the Detroit Pistons. The deal was dismissed after the Pistons failed his physical assessment. That didn't sit well with the Lithuanian big man, who claimed that he got "screwed" and that Detroit just used the supposed findings to change its mind and call off the trade.
Per Plowright, it's possible that the Hornets' latest move was not just brought about by self-serving motives but also probably the desire to protect Williams.
This makes me think, perhaps the Hornets are disputing the medical not only for themselves, but on behalf of Mark Williams. Him and his agent will feel the way Motiejunas did, like the Lakers have decreased his value for the rest of his career.
— James Plowright (@British_Buzz) February 12, 2025
It's indeed curious that the Lakers found his medical condition so concerning that they decided to put the deal off. The Duke University product had occasionally been putting up impressive numbers in the weeks leading to the shocking trade, including a career-high 38 points against a former Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr. He did have to sit out some contests as part of the plan to manage his health.
The Lake Show even seemed excited to bring in what they thought would have been the perfect complement to LeBron James and newcomer Luka Doncic.
Of course, in the Lakers' defense, they likely wouldn't have intentionally screwed the Hornets and Williams over because they, too, were impacted by the move. It left them no time to find an alternative deal for a different center, settling for recently waived Alex Len.
So, it looks like the theory that Los Angeles suddenly got cold feet might be accurate. Unfortunately, it's Charlotte and Williams who paid the steeper price for it.