Following a deal to bring in superstar Luka Doncic, the LA Lakers agreed another trade to bring in a big talent to complement him.
Following talks between Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers front office, a trade to bring in a center was quickly agreed (and we wonder what Anthony Davis thinks after his express desire for the team to do the same).
The Lakers agreed a move to acquire Mark Williams, a deal for an explosive talent averaging 15.6 ppg and 9.6 rebounds.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson is ‘hyped’ for the move, and he is not the only former NBA star excited about it.
Former Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem told ESPN that he is very excited about the Lakers’ deal for Mark Williams, almost as much as the Luka Doncic trade.
Haslem explained: “I’m almost more excited about this than the Luka trade, this opens up the whole court for Luka, he loves vertical spacing. And we know Mark Williams can give him vertical spacing.
“You set the pick and roll, just give him a little bit, he doesn’t even need to spring to the basket because he has length, so he can get up above the rim and go vertical at any point.
“Just throw it up there anywhere, when you have a guy like Dereck Lively or Mark Williams who has the longest standing reach in the NBA, yes longer than Wemby, he can go get it at any point.”
The note about Williams having a longer standing reach than Victor Wembanyama is indeed correct, at 9’9 against the Spurs star’s 9’7 reach.
The Lakers showed how much they value Williams by trading away Dalton Knecht as part of the package to get him.
There is no doubt at all Luka Doncic and Mark Williams could create a strong offensive spark, for a team already boasting LeBron James.
The trouble is the health of both players, with Luka Doncic’s injuries, he has played only 22 games this season.
While Mark Williams has played only 23 times, only making his season debut in early December after missing the start of this year and the end of the last.
With the aim of ensuring both are in peak condition for the playoffs, the Lakers will have to manage the duo carefully, to ensure they are available, despite the temptation to use them as much as possible together right away.
