Lakers Mark Williams trade could have subtly freed them up for another move

The Lakers not only got better at the NBA trade deadline, they also got more flexible to further improve.

The Los Angeles Lakers surprised the NBA world again on Wednesday night. It wasn’t quite the earth-shattering thunderbolt of their Luka Doncic trade earlier in the week, but given that few were even certain that third-year Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams was even available, L.A. getting him for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-rounder and 2030 swap certainly qualified as unexpected.

In the aftermath of the trade, most of the discussion (and reporting) has centered around the Lakers solidifying their center spot with the exact type of big man Doncic loves to play next to, as well as Williams’ well-chronicled durability concerns.

But one factor in the deal that has arguably gone under-discussed is the Lakers — after sending out three players while taking back three in the Doncic deal — sent out one more player than the Hornets in this move, freeing up both their 15th roster spot and extra money under the second apron, as explained by ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks:

What will the Lakers do with that enhanced flexibility before today’s NBA trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET? Possibly nothing! After all, GM Rob Pelinka has already done quite the roster overhaul, and the team can (currently) only trade its own 2025 second-round pick due to other pick obligations, per our friends at Salary Swish.

For now, though, there are rumors they are still not done. Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported in the aftermath of the Williams trade that the team is looking to see if it can find another player in exchange for Maxi Kleber’s $11 million salary, although takers for that may be tough given that he’s also guaranteed $11 million next year and likely to miss most of (if not the entire) rest of the season after undergoing foot surgery.

But, for example, could the Lakers lift the top-3 protections on their 2027 first-round pick to get something from the Utah Jazz? Is there a team looking for one more second that just wants to get something for the expiring contract of a player they think is going to leave anyway?

Even if none of that happens and the Lakers can’t find teams with interest in Kleber, Rui Hachimura ($17 million) or Gabe Vincent ($11 million), then this still leaves them with the ability to land a player in the buyout market, given that they can now offer said players a chance to play in Los Angeles and chase their next contract (and maybe a title) alongside Luka and LeBron James.

So even if the rest of deadline day is quiet for the purple and gold, the Williams trade made the team not just better in the moment, but also potentially poised to continue improving beyond the deadline.