Patrick Beverley Slams Mark Williams Over Lakers Playoff Troll

Upon trading 10-time All-Star center/power forward Anthony Davis, 3-and-D shooting guard Max Christie, and an unprotected 2029 first round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic (who's six years younger than the oft-hurt Davis and already has a higher ceiling), injured reserve big man Maxi Kleber, and deep-bench forward Markieff Morris, the Lakers had a clear hole at the center position.

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Los Angeles general manager and team president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka traded to find that new center for Doncic and 21-time All-Star forward LeBron James. He flipped rookie shooting guard Dalton Knecht and L.A.'s 2031 first round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams, a rim-rolling 23-year-old center with a troubling injury history of his own.

But the deal was rescinded after Williams failed his team physical. Los Angeles managed to hold onto that 2031 first rounder, and brought back Knecht, although he fell out of favor with head coach JJ Redick when Redick tightened his rotations in the playoffs.

Although Williams isn't an elite rim protector, his offensive abilities, rebounding acumen, and athleticism and size would certainly have benefitted the Lakers in that opening round series against the Timberwolves.

Appearing on his podcast "The Pat Bev Podcast With Rone," Beverley called out Williams for the shade he threw in L.A.'s general direction.

“That was weird to me, especially coming from a team that is god awful. I didn’t understand that, I really didn’t understand that,” Beverley said. “He was happy they lost, what kind of weird time is that? That’s weird bro.”

Beverley, a three-time All-Defensive Teamer, spent just half a season with L.A., in 2022-23. The team was headed straight for the lottery before Pelinka traded Beverley, Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn away from the team to balance out his roster. The reconfigured Lakers made a sprint to the playoffs, and ultimately won a pair of playoff series before falling to the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference Finals sweep.

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In his three seasons with the Hornets, Williams' teams have never finished with a record better than 27-55. The 7-footer, meanwhile, has never played for more than 44 games in a given year.

This year, Williams logged respectable averages of 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals a night. While impressive, somebody has to score on these terrible teams. It's unclear if he would have such solid numbers on a team that, like the Lakers, is a playoff pseudo-contender.

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