Jeff Teague suggests Hornets tried to sneak Mark Williams' injury past Lakers
Yesterday at 06:02 PM
Amid the chaos of the Luka Doncic trade and the ensuing media reaction, another key storyline surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers has been their attempted trade of Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, which was since rescinded due to Williams failing his physical. In a bit of an awkward scene, Knecht was back on the Lakers bench Monday evening to watch Doncic make his debut with the team, a game in which the Lakers destroyed the visiting Utah Jazz.
One person who thinks the Hornets knew more about Williams’ health than they let on is former NBA All-Star point guard Jeff Teague, who recently took to his own Club 520 podcast to relay his thoughts.
“I told y'all about Mark Williams too. I said they know his injury history bro,” said Teague. “If you're giving up 16 & 9 from a 22 year old, something is wrong. And you're in rebuild mode, what the f—, something is wrong… Y'all want him? Okay for sure. They were over there praying that he passes that physical, like the Lakers weren't going to do an in-depth, detailed physical. They were hoping they would just be like, yeah run it.”
Indeed, some NBA fans were initially puzzled that the Hornets would be willing to give up on their young center so quickly, especially considering that Knecht is older for a rookie. Teague’s theory might explain their rationale.
A bizarre situation
The Hornets are reportedly attempting to dispute the Lakers’ failed physical of Mark Williams in an attempt to make the trade go through as planned, per Shams Charania of ESPN. That could potentially make the situation drag out even longer, but would allow the Lakers to acquire the big man they’ve been hoping to pair alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is playing arguably its best basketball since their 2020 championship in recent weeks, as the team currently sits at 32-19 and with several seemingly easy games coming up on the schedule.
Los Angeles will next take the floor on Wednesday evening, once again against the Utah Jazz, but this time on the road.
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