Report: Luka Doncic Was Impressed By How Quickly Lakers Tried To Get Him Center (Mark Williams)

February 17, 2025

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Luka Doncic was impressed by how quickly the Los Angeles Lakers tried to get him a center.

The Lakers acquired Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. However, Williams failed his physical with Los Angeles, so the trade was rescinded.

“Yet there has been no tangible dismay from the Doncic camp about his new team walking away from the Williams deal,” Stein wrote. “Sources told The Stein Line that Doncic, in his first discussion about roster construction with Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, told Pelinka that he understood it might take until the summer to make that addition … and came away impressed by how swiftly the Lakers initially moved to try to address that void.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters during All-Star Weekend that the Hornets have not filed a formal protest to appeal the Lakers’ decision to walk away from the Williams trade.

Doncic has appeared in two games with the Lakers. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 40.7% from the field, 26.7% from beyond the arc and 50.0% from the free-throw line.

The Lakers are 1-1 with Doncic in the lineup. They sit at 32-20 at the All-Star break, good for fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

One of the top players in the NBA, Doncic is averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists this season in 24 games with the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers. The five-time All-Star is shooting 46.0% overall, 34.8% from 3 and 75.3% from the foul line.

“The Lakers have kept Doncic under 25 minutes in his first two games in purple and gold and are expected to persist with a measured approach as the 25-year-old progresses in his comeback after missing his final 19 games as a Maverick with a left calf strain sustained on Christmas Day,” Stein wrote. “The Lakers face an immediate back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday against Charlotte (home) and Portland (away). It is believed that Doncic will play in only one of those games before a Saturday night trip to Denver to square off with his close friend Nikola Jokic before the Lakers play host to the Mavericks one week from Tuesday.”