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Mark Williams's Agent Slams Lakers Over Failed Physical That Nixed Hornets Trade

The Lakers were called out by Mark Williams's representation after failing his physical and sending him back to the Hornets.

Liam McKeone

Mark Williams was initially sent to the Lakers at the trade deadline but a failed physical canceled the deal
Mark Williams was initially sent to the Lakers at the trade deadline but a failed physical canceled the deal / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Mark Williams saga has been a strange one. The Charlotte Hornets center, drafted 15th in the 2022 NBA draft, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as the 2025 NBA trade deadline neared on Feburary 6. Days later, though, the trade was rescinded after the Lakers failed Williams's physical; his injury issues have plagued him throughout his young NBA career and Los Angeles's staff apparently did not like what they saw.

On Wednesday another chapter was written in the tale of Williams as his agent, Jeff Schwartz, released a statement via ESPN's Shams Charania slamming the Lakers for the failed phyiscal.

"The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical," Schwartz's statement read. "Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity."

It's the sort of statement one might expect from Williams's representation, given the Lakers effectively labeled the player as damaged goods by refusing to trade for him once they got an up-close look at his medicals. It remains a pretty strong callout of the biggest franchise in the league.

With the recent news that the Hornets would not be filing a complaint with the NBA over how the Lakers handled the situation, this may be the final piece of news regarding Williams and the Lakers.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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