Ex-Lakers champion addresses Lakers center issues amid Mark Williams trade whiff: "They went from A+ to B-"

Former LA Lakers star Danny Green, who won the NBA championship with LeBron James and the squad in the NBA bubble, highlighted the big-man issues for the Purple and Gold after the failed Mark Williams trade.

On Monday, Green appeared on FanDuel's "Run it Back" show where he voiced his opinion on the failed trade and rated the trade deadline for his former team.

"They went from a A+ to a B-," Green said. "The Lakers are not in a 'win-now' situation. They had great moves for the future and win now when they had Mark Williams, but now it's just Luka (Doncic)."

Green applauded Lakers player Jaxson Hayes for his recent performances but showed doubt in his potential to play a full game. He highlighted that Christian Koloko has the potential to become a big man for the Lakers but he is not ready to step in the shoes yet.

Former NBA player Chandler Parsons was also in the panel during Green's review of the trade and he added his two cents to the three-time NBA champion's statements.

"They gave up a lot to get Mark Williams. Clearly, they know that was a hole that they needed to fill to make them a contender. You take that off and they are back to that middle of the pack," Parsons said.

The former Mavs star assured that the Lakers would win some games but it would hard for them to contend for a championship right now as Williams was an essential piece they needed to complete their squad.

Why did the Lakers rescind the Mark Williams trade?

The Lakers were involved in arguably the biggest trade of the decade which featured bringing in Luka Doncic at the Crypto.com Arena. Their necessity before the trade deadline was to secure a big man to replace Anthony Davis, who was traded to the Mavs in exchange for Doncic.

General Manager Rob Pelinka laid his eyes on Hornets center Mark Williams and was successful in getting the Hornets to trade their big man. However, on Saturday, the Purple and Gold announced that they had rescinded the trade for Williams.

According to the Athletic, the trade fell out as the Hornets failed to satisfy a condition of the trade. Mark Williams reportedly did not clear his physical examination and the Lakers were forced to revert the trade.

Williams was a potential missing piece that could have made the Lakers a championship contender. He is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and would have been a great fit to play the number 5 position.