Feb 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) controls the ball as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

What is Mark Williams' trade value now after Hornets-Lakers debacle?

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:01 AM ET

If the Charlotte Hornets are going to trade Mark Williams again, it will be a little harder to do.

The failed trade to the Los Angeles Lakers impacted everyone involved. The Lakers lost their much-needed center, which proved to be their downfall in the playoffs. The Hornets lost out on a massive haul and Williams had his reputation dragged through the mud.

Of course, Williams did prove he was healthy the rest of the season and played quite well, so it wouldn't be totally impossible for the Hornets to trade him again if they wanted to. But what could they get?

They wouldn't get a package of Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick swap. The easiest way to determine Williams' value now would be to work backward from that starting point.

Williams now has a bit of a stain on his reputation, which only decreases his value. He is also going to be older and have less team control by the time he's traded, whether that's in the summer or at the next deadline in 2026.

So Williams won't fetch the Hornets a rookie, a future first, an expiring contract, and the right to a pick swap later. But he would still get them a portion of that. A young player, probably not a rookie and probably not someone on the level of Knecht, would still be included, and there's probably a first-round pick as far down the line as the NBA will allow a team to be traded, but that's probably it.

Say, for example, the Hornets sent Williams to the Golden State Warriors. They could package their future first-round pick and Brandin Podziemski. That's a diluted version of what the Lakers sent the Hornets, which is probably fair at this point.

The salaries on that one don't quite match up, but only by a few hundred thousand dollars, so that can easily be fixed without altering the structure of the trade. This could be done, but will it? The Hornets have to decide if they want to keep Williams or trade him once again.