Hornets’ Mark Williams addresses latest chatter surrounding nixed trade to Lakers
Sporting colorful jeans along with a black jacket, Mark Williams’ attire was a little different than the gear he had on 24 hours earlier.
Instead of matching up with Nikola Jokic on the night the three-time MVP received a piece of hardware commemorating the Denver star winning the Western Conference player of the month honors for January, the Charlotte Hornets’ center was relegated to spectator status, unavailable due to return to competition conditioning.
But don’t sound the alarm. Williams isn’t hurt.
“Just that long-term view on all of our player health,” coach Charles Lee said following the Hornets’ 129-115 loss to the Nuggets at Ball Arena on Thursday night. “He didn’t play a couple of games during that whole trade week and just the transition. And so then having the break, too, we just want to make sure that we’re bringing him back and ramping him up at the right pace so that he can continue to have longevity.”
In other words, although some conspiracy theorists may believe in the aftermath of the Lakers failing Williams’ physical and returning him to the Hornets, he didn’t sit out versus the Nuggets because he’s banged and frail.
Once news dropped that the 7-footer wasn’t playing, along with star guard LaMelo Ball, it automatically led some to question how that could be possible after Williams started in the Hornets’ win over the Lakers on Wednesday night, when he logged 29 minutes and posted 10 points and nine rebounds.
This despite Williams’ agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, releasing a statement denouncing the trade’s reversal.
“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,” the statement said. “Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity.”
Williams appreciated Schwartz’s words. Schwartz was the one who broke the news to Williams that nearly two weeks ago once everything went down and informed him the Lakers nixed the deal.
“It’s great for Jeff to have my back,” Williams told The Observer, “show his support and show he has the same stance as me and everybody else within my circle. So, for him to make a statement to go out to everybody is huge.”
Williams surely feels the same way about his teammates, who’ve gone out of their way to make him feel comfortable despite what easily was an awkward situation initially.
There’s zero difference in how he’s interacting with everyone in and around the organization, a byproduct of the camaraderie built over the last two-plus years since the Hornets acquired him in a draft-day deal in 2022.
“Mark is like a brother to us,” Miles Bridges said after tossing in a season-best 36 points to go with 13 rebounds and seven assists against Denver. “So, we’re just welcoming him back with open arms, letting him know that he’s wanted here. That’s just the biggest thing, just him knowing that he’s got a home here in Charlotte.
”That’s the biggest thing for us and he’s going to continue to play and give us results.”
Williams’ insists his focus is squarely on that and nothing else. He’s essentially finished talking about the emotional experience, opting to shift his vision and close a chapter that put him in the national spotlight like never before.
“Yeah, I think it’s, for us, to finish the season strong,” Williams said. “Just try to have some good games and do a lot of the right stuff on the floor. I think now it’s kind of done. I think now it’s just move on and play basketball.”
