Failed Mark Williams trade has left everyone unhappy

The Lakers initially traded for the Hornets' 23-year-old center in a deal for rookie Dalton Knecht, the Lakers' first-round pick in 2031 and a pick swap in 2030. Then the Lakers rescinded the trade after claiming Williams failed a physical. Then the teams started spinning the results.

First, both teams claimed that the other had approached them with the trade, perhaps to save face with the players involved. The Hornets published a statement that said in part, "We are excited to welcome Mark back to our organization after the other team aggressively pursued Mark...We are thrilled to see him rejoin the roster."

Apparently the Hornets weren't so thrilled that they aren't trying to get the NBA to force the Lakers to make Williams rejoin their roster.

The Lakers, meanwhile, had a different version of events.

"This opportunity came to us," GM Rob Pelinka claimed, via ESPN, then gave a complicated example involving the Los Angeles housing market, concluding, "When you see the perfect house, you're willing to go get it, even if you have to be aggressive to do it." 

He has not as yet discussed the necessity of a home inspection before closing a deal.

If that weren't complicated enough, ESPN's Dave McMenamin called Williams Doncic's "handpicked" choice at center, casting doubt on Pelinka's comments. McMenamin reported that James, or his "camp," didn't like that Pelinka had quickly made a move to address Doncic's wishes for a center, when "James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster."

The NBA is unlikely to intervene, since the trade deadline is over and thus the trade can't be amended. But it's a rare NBA trade, or non-trade, that results in everyone involved being miserable. The Lakers and Hornets truly pulled off, or didn't pull off, something special.