FOR the past few days,the Los Angeles Lakers were saddled with questions as to who’s gonna man the paint after the departure of two-way superstar Anthony Davis when he got traded for Luka Doncic.
Well, they have their big man now.
According to ESPN Senior Insider Shams Charania, the Lakers are acquiring Williams as they sent rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday afternoon in the Philippines.
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In Williams, the Lakers did not only get a stop-gap solution to the center position – they got their big man for the future in the 23-year-old, 7-footer who’s taken a huge leap this season after returning from a back injury.
The third-year center is posting averages of 16 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks since returning from a back injury last December.
After getting more minutes as he’s eased himself back into fitness, Williams has put up averages of 20.3 points, 12.6 boards, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in an ultra-efficient 56.6 percent shooting clip from the field.
In getting him, the Lakers parted ways with promising rookie in Knecht, who’s averaging nearly 10 a game on 36 percent shooting clip from downtown, but given the chance to snag a perennial double-double threat who fixes most of the Lakers’ line-up deficiencies, then it’s pretty much a no-brainer for GM Rob Pelinka and the Lakeshow.
The move pretty much completed Pelinka’s masterful shake-up of the Lakers roster – pretty much turning a 31-year-old Davis, promising young guns in Knecht and Max Christie, and their two first-round picks for Doncic and Williams to pair alongside LeBron James.
What makes this move even better for him is how they didn’t have to let go of tradable assets like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt – three guys integral to coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
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