Mark Williams will not be joining the Los Angeles Lakers after all.
The team announced Saturday night that the trade that would have brought Williams over from the Charlotte Hornets ‘has been rescinded due to failure to satisfy a condition of the trade.’
The deal fell apart after Williams failed a physical, a person with knowledge of the physical told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information.
The 23-year-old Williams already has an extensive injury history. He appeared in just 43 games his rookie season, 19 last season and has made 23 appearances this season entering Saturday’s games.
Marks, a longtime front office executive, said that with the trade deadline now in the rearview mirror the deal cannot be amended. The players now go back to their original teams and the draft conditions are voided, Marks said.
The Hornets welcomed Williams back to the team in a public statement posted on social media.
‘We are excited to welcome Mark back to our Hornets organization,’ the team said in its statement. ‘After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him. We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic, and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position.
‘His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court.’
While the trade falling apart is perhaps a long-term bullet dodged for the Lakers, center now becomes a glaring concern for the rest of this season. Williams was seemingly destined to start for L.A. after Anthony Davis was sent to Dallas in the Luka Doncic trade. The surging Lakers – winners of nine of their past 10 games – will now almost certainly be scouring the buyout market for a big man.