Hornets trade center Mark Williams to Suns

Mark Williams (YouTube)

The Charlotte Hornets have traded center Mark Williams of Norfolk, Virginia to the Phoenix Suns according to Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. Williams was traded for a first round pick in the 2025 and 2029 NBA Drafts. The first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was the 29th pick. The Hornets now have small forward Liam McNeeley of Richardson, Texas on their roster. He was a freshman forward who played last season with the University of Connecticut Huskies.

Williams has played the last three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. This past season, he averaged 15.3 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, and 1.2 blocks per game. Williams also had a field goal percentage of .604, and a free throw percentage of .804.

Injuries have been a major story for Williams in his career to date. He suffered injuries to his ankle and thumb, which forced him to only play 43 games in 2022-23, an injury to his back which forced him to miss 62 games in 2023-24, and a strained tendon in his left foot which forced him to miss the first 20 games last season.

Williams was initially traded to the Los Angeles Lakers by the Hornets at the trade deadline last season according to Rogers Sportsnet. However, the trade did not go through because Williams failed his physical. The Lakers were looking for a big man presence at the center position to accommodate Luka Doncic and LeBron James after trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. The lack of an intimidating presence at the center position ending up costing the Lakers in their first round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It will definitely be a new look Suns team in 2024-25. In addition to Williams, they have Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks on their roster after making a blockbuster deal with the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

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