Mark Williams remains bitter after failed Lakers trade

Mark Williams hasn’t gotten over the cancellation of his trade to the Lakers last February. The 24-year-old center, now with the Phoenix Suns, spoke on The Old Man and The Three podcast alongside teammates Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Ryan Dunn, revealing his frustration after this significant episode.

« Honestly, I thought: ‘Screw you all,’ really. I was excited about joining the Lakers. I thought I was the type of player who could really help them in the playoffs », Williams confided. The former Charlotte Hornets player had his trade canceled after failing the medical examination required by Los Angeles.

A failure that continues to motivate the Suns center

The story had started well for Williams, who had played against the Bucks the very night he learned about his trade. « I had just played that night against Milwaukee when I got the call. And then they told me it was off. I asked them if they couldn’t reverse the cancellation, but they said no », he recalls.

Jordan Goodwin, then with the Lakers and now Williams’ teammate in Phoenix, witnessed this unusual situation. « We thought the deal was done. And then one day: boom, what happened? They said his knee was in bad shape. But he had just played the week before », Goodwin explains. Dalton Knecht, the main piece in the trade, had already cleared out his locker.

This frustration turned into extra motivation against the Lakers. Williams shined in the three matchups this season between Phoenix and Los Angeles, averaging 17 points on 22/26 shooting, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes. The Suns won two of those three games.

Currently, the center is excelling in Phoenix with 13.1 points on 66.5% shooting and 8.2 rebounds per game in 27 appearances. A final home game against Los Angeles in late February will allow Williams to continue his personal vendetta.