LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers rescinded their trade to acquire Mark Williams from Charlotte because the center failed his physical, a person with knowledge of the circumstances told The Associated Press on Saturday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers didn't plan to make a public announcement of their reason for scrapping the deal.
The Lakers agreed to trade rookie Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish along with draft considerations Wednesday night to get the 23-year-old Williams, a third-year pro and a former first-round draft pick. Los Angeles needs a quality big man to replace Anthony Davis, who was traded to Dallas along with Max Christie for superstar Luka Doncic.
Charlotte also was supposed to receive the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2031 and a first-round pick swap in 2030.
Instead, the Lakers took the drastic step of nixing the trade after learning more about Williams, who has a lengthy injury history. He has played in just 84 of a possible 212 NBA games over his three seasons due to back problems and other ailments.
“We are excited to welcome Mark back to our Hornets organization,” the Hornets wrote in a statement on social media. “After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him. We have always held great respect for Mark's talent, work ethic and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court.”
The Lakers had no initial concerns about the deal, according to general manager Rob Pelinka. Coach JJ Redick already knows Williams, who came to Redick — a fellow Duke product — for advice and mentorship a few years ago.
“Just feel like he’s a really good fit now, and he’s a really good fit for the future,” Redick said of Williams on Thursday night.
The cancellation of the trade throws yet another element of upheaval into the Lakers, who have won five straight and 11 of 13 despite their tumultuous roster moves.
Los Angeles beat Indiana 124-117 earlier Saturday without LeBron James and Doncic.
The Lakers are now without a proven big man to play alongside Jaxson Hayes, who was expected to move to the bench after Williams arrived. Their backup center against the Pacers was 6-foot-10 Trey Jemison III, who joined the Lakers less than four weeks ago and has played for four teams in the past two seasons.
The buyout market for veteran big men also doesn't look promising, and the Lakers even lost the roster spot they created by dealing two players for Williams — but the Lakers eventually could get help from within.
Christian Wood has missed the entire season for Los Angeles since having knee surgery in September, and while the Lakers haven't provided any recent updates on his return, the big man wasn't initially expected to miss the entire season.
Jemison and fellow backup big man Christian Koloko are on two-way contracts, which means they wouldn't be eligible for the playoffs.
The Lakers also were thin on the wing without Knecht and Reddick, who both got intermittent playing time this season. Knecht is a dynamic shooter who had a 37-point game with nine 3-pointers early this season, but his defensive growing pains limited his playing time before the trade.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht celebrates after scoring a three-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) looks to shoot against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.
In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.
Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.
Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.
But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.
More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.
The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.
“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”
Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.
People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.
More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .
“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.
The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.
Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.
While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.
“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."
The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.
Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”
"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.
Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”
The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.
Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.
A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
