Mark Williams Surgery News Makes Los Angeles Lakers' Call Look Smarter
Mark Williams’ latest shoulder surgery has revived questions about the Lakers’ 2025 decision to cancel his trade, especially after Los Angeles later used preserved assets to acquire Walker Kessler.
Mark Williams' latest injury has brought an old Los Angeles Lakers decision back into focus. The Phoenix Suns center underwent surgery Thursday after tearing the labrum in his left shoulder during an offseason workout, ESPN's Shams Charania reported. Williams will miss an extended period.
The injury does not prove that the Lakers were right about the medical concerns that ended their 2025 trade for Williams. Still, it adds to the bigger question around the decision. Los Angeles chose to keep its players and future draft picks rather than take a chance on Williams' health.
Mark Williams Surgery Brings Lakers Trade Decision Back Into Focus
The Lakers agreed to send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Williams in February 2025. The trade was later rescinded after Williams failed his physical. NBA.com confirmed the deal was cancelled because a condition of the trade was not met.
At the time, the move created plenty of discussion because Los Angeles badly needed a center after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić. Williams had also missed a large number of games early in his career. NBA.com reported that he had played only 84 of 212 possible games before the Lakers cancelled the deal.
The important point is that Thursday's shoulder surgery should not be linked directly to the medical issues found during that 2025 physical. Those details were never fully made public. What the new injury does show is why availability was such a major part of the Lakers' decision.
Lakers Kept Assets That Later Helped Them Land Walker Kessler
The story became more interesting after Los Angeles found another way to address its center problem. The Lakers traded for Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in 2026, sending two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to Utah.
One of those first-round picks was the 2031 selection that had been part of the original Williams trade. The 2030 swap from that deal was also among the assets used in the Kessler trade. That means the Lakers eventually turned assets they had protected in 2025 into part of a different move for a starting center.
Williams also had a much healthier 2025-26 season than his earlier years, playing 60 games for Phoenix and averaging 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds. The Suns then gave him a three-year, $38 million deal in July. Now, only months later, another injury has put him on the sidelines.
That makes the Lakers' decision easier to understand, even if it does not prove every medical concern from 2025 was correct. Los Angeles avoided taking on Williams at that time, kept valuable assets and eventually used some of them to bring in Kessler. Williams now faces another extended absence in Phoenix.