Why LA Lakers rescinding Mark Williams trade is not as terrible as you think from a championship perspective

In a surprising turn of events, the LA Lakers rescinded center Mark Williams' trade to the team on Saturday. Just as the team braced for his debut alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James on Monday, LA pulled the plug on the deal after the Hornets failed to "satisfy a condition" of the trade.

As a result, the Lakers retained Dalton Knecht and Cam Redish, along with their 2031 first-round pick and the 2030 first-round pick swap. The Lakers had concerns after Williams didn't pass his physical examination. They found new concerns surrounding the injury-prone big man, who has played only 84 out of 212 possible games in his first three seasons.

As per insider Brett Siegel, the Lakers were reportedly not offered "adequate and accurate" medical records by the Hornets when the parties finalized the trade. The Lakers didn't believe he would be healthy enough to be a long-term starting center for the franchise, especially at the price they paid for the 23-year-old.

The shocking situation has many doubting the LA Lakers' chances of contending for a championship, which seemed bright before they made the bold decision to rescind the trade. While it's true that Mark Williams was an upgrade at the center position over Jaxson Hayes, it wasn't necessarily the game-changer for the Lakers.

There's a compelling case to be made that rescinding Williams' trade isn't as damning to the Purple and Gold's championship hopes as viewed among several NBA fans.

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Mark Williams was always going to be a work-in-progress and long-term prospect for LA Lakers

Mark Williams was viewed as a long-term work-in-progress prospect with the LA Lakers. JJ Redick believed he could be a contributor but multiple areas of his game needed improvement, especially his defense. Despite a 7-foot frame and a 9-foot-9 wingspan, Williams left a lot to be desired as a rim protector and pick-and-roll defender.

While he would have raised the team's offensive ceiling slightly more with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, it wouldn't have been a seismic growth. Williams' defense would have often seen him get played off the floor, especially in the playoffs. It has also happened to a Defensive Player of the Year caliber player like Rudy Gobert.

The Lakers have also preferred switching heavily of late with small ball lineups and it has worked. Williams wouldn't have fit that scheme. He would have also soaked into Jaxson Hayes' minutes, who has been a plus defender, especially since Anthony Davis' final Lakers game.

Make no mistake that Hayes is still not the answer. However, with the Lakers possibly out of options, and Williams coming in with his injury baggage, LA would have turned to Hayes either way. The positive upside to that is Hayes' significant uptick in production and overall play since AD's last game. He has averaged 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in the last five games.

LA is 5-0 in that span with a 106.4 defensive rating (fourth-best). Jaxson Hayes has a 104.6 defensive rating, the third-best among the Lakers' top six rotation players. Perhaps the offensive numbers could improve further when Luka Doncic steps on the floor with him.

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LA Lakers' small-ball lineup is actually kind of big and the defense is impeccable

Once Luka Doncic returns, the LA Lakers could have a relatively big lineup across all five positions on both ends, especially with their best projected small-ball five-man rotation, including Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith.

At 6-foot-5, Austin Reaves would be their shortest player. Defensively, the Lakers would have Doncic in his most comfortable position in the post next to either Finney-Smith or LeBron. Reaves has improved as a team defender and LA is doing an excellent job of helping him in mismatches since Davis' last game. He's also holding his own in isolated situations.

The Lakers' impeccable defensive rotation would also help them cover ground when they double the opposing team's center. Take this play, for example, without a center on the floor and a frontcourt trio of Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura:

Reaves does a great job of doubling Pascal Siakam on a mismatch against Jordan Goodwin, forcing Siakam to give up the ball. The LA Lakers then chase the perimeter players off the line and force a 24-second violation.

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LA Lakers' offensive ceiling with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves

The LA Lakers have coveted a center all season long. They have also seen their most reliable big man, Anthony Davis, leave the team. However, the Lakers haven't remotely seemed fazed by their lack of firepower.

It's a small sample size, but the Lakers took care of business against the Knicks with Karl-Anthony Towns, the LA Clippers with Ivica Zubac and the Indiana Pacers with Pascal Siakam.

Jaxson Hayes was no match for either player, but the Lakers found a way to navigate through their biggest roster weakness with their attention to detail and effort defensively as a whole. It wasn't just that. The Lakers used their offense to make life easy on their defense.

With Luka Doncic yet to debut and Anthony Davis last playing on Jan. 28, the LeBron James and Austin Reaves-led Lakers offense has boasted a 125.9 rating over the past five games, which is the second-highest behind the OKC Thunder (128.2).

The LA Lakers have led by 25 or more points in four of those five games. The only team they didn't achieve this feat was against the Knicks on the road. Even in that game, LA led by 18 points at one stage. That early offensive executive has put massive pressure on opposing teams during this stretch, making it easier for the Lakers' defense to impose itself despite lacking the personnel.

The Lakers did that against the Pacers without LeBron and Doncic, with Austin Reaves putting up a career-high 45-point night and the Lakers' fourth option on defense, Rui Hachimura, stepping up with 24.

Enter Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two of the best if not the greatest halfcourt shot creators in basketball history, the Lakers' offensive ceiling could arguably be the best with Reaves as their third option and others like Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent surrounding them.

This factor alone was a major contributor to the LA Lakers raising their ceiling as contenders than the Mark Williams trade, which was probably a slightly above-the-margin move, considering what he was bringing to the table as a fairly raw prospect on a contender.