Hornets forcing Mark Williams to Lakers in massive trade revival attempt in near "mock trial" scenario: Report

The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly continuing their push to send center Mark Williams to the LA Lakers following their rescinded trade deadline deal. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the dispute could escalate to a "mock trial" to decide Williams' future.

On Feb. 5, LA agreed to acquire Williams in exchange for rookie Dalton Knecht, wing Cam Reddish, its 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

Williams has an extensive injury history, suiting up in only 85 contests across three seasons. Nevertheless, the center-needy franchise appeared willing to bank on the 23-year-old's potential to be a building block next to newly obtained superstar guard Luka Doncic.

However, on Saturday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Lakers backed out of the deal after Williams' physical "showed multiple issues."

As a result, the involved players returned to their squads, with Charlotte releasing a statement welcoming Williams back. That appeared to be the saga's culmination until Charania issued a follow-up report on Monday, outlining the Hornets' decision to "challenge" the Lakers' decision.

"The Charlotte Hornets have been in contact with the NBA as they explore options to dispute the LA Lakers' failed physical assessment of Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN," Charania wrote. "The Williams/Dalton Knecht trade was nixed Saturday, and now Hornets weigh avenues to challenge."

On Tuesday's edition of "The Rich Eisen Show," McMenamin expanded on Charlotte's determination to get the NBA to finalize the trade.

"The Hornets, they're not giving up on this deal," McMenamin said (timestamp: 1:29). "... They are petitioning the NBA to have a ruling on this trade, and they're gonna try to reverse it once again because they're not satisfied with the Lakers' explanation of Mark Williams failing the physical."

When asked how the arbitration process would play out in such a scenario, McMenamin likened it to a legal simulation.

"From my understanding, this would be almost like a mock trial that the NBA will put on, and both teams will present their cases," McMenamin said.

However, McMenamin noted that "the precedent would be on the Lakers' side to have this rescinded trade stand."

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NBA front office insider on likelihood of league siding with Hornets in Mark Williams trade dispute

NBA front office insider Bobby Marks also weighed in on the next steps of Charlotte's dispute over its rescinded Mark Williams trade. According to Marks, LA would be all but certain to win a potential arbitration hearing conducted by the league.

"There is a 99.9% chance this stays, that there's no turning back here," Marks said Tuesday (timestamp: 4:22).

Marks added that the Lakers would likely be given the right to rely on their team physician's judgment.

Nevertheless, the Hornets are reportedly holding Williams out of game action as they await a resolution to the conflict.

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