CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The agent for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams says the Los Angeles Lakers shouldn't have failed his client’s physical examination, a move that ultimately resulted in the trade being rescinded after the deadline.
The Hornets agreed to send the 7-foot Williams to the Lakers on Feb. 6 in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap. However, the Lakers wound up failing Williams' physical and the players returned to play for their former teams.
“The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical,” Williams agent Jeff Schwartz said Friday in a statement. “Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity.”
The Lakers declined comment through a team spokesman.
In his first game back with the Hornets on Wednesday night, Williams played 29 minutes and scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 100-97 win over the Lakers.
Williams, who has struggled with back issues during his three-year NBA career, has never played in more than 43 games in a season. He's averaging 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season.
Los Angeles has since moved on from the failed trade, signing center Alex Len.
However, the rescinded trade has left players in the awkward position of playing for teams that no longer wanted them.
The Hornets had considered taking actions against the Lakers through the league, but never made an official appeal to the league. Williams signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Hornets after being selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Duke.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball while under pressure from Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a New Year's Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks.
Trump's order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities.
The increases, which were set to take effect Jan. 1, come as the Republican president instituted a broad swath of taxes on imported goods to address trade imbalances and other issues.
The president has said the tariffs on furniture are needed to “bolster American industry and protect national security.”
The delay is the latest in the roller coaster of Trump's tariff wars since he returned to office last year, with the president announcing levies at times without warning and then delaying or pulling back from them just as abruptly.
The Trump administration on Wednesday also signaled it may back away from a steep tariff proposed on Italian pasta that would have put the rate at 107%. The U.S. had threatened to add a heavy tariff on Italian pasta makers after the U.S. Commerce Department launched what it said was a routine antidumping review based on allegations that the pasta makers sold product into the US at below-market prices and undercut local competitors.
A final decision on the sanctions was scheduled for Jan. 2, with the option of extending it.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday that based on a new review, the rates would be lowered to between 2.26% and 13.89% for the pasta makers because they had addressed many of the department's concerns. A final decision is now set for March 12.
Italian farm lobby Coldiretti and another food industry association, Filiera Italia, welcomed the development. The two lobby groups had strongly objected to the original tariffs and urged the Italian government to intervene.
The two associations said the original proposed tariffs would have doubled the cost of a plate of pasta for American families, “opening the door to Italian-sounding products and penalizing the authentic quality of Made in Italy.”
They reported that in 2024, Italian pasta exports to the U.S. amounted to €671 million ($787 million).
“Coldiretti and Filiera Italia will continue to defend our premium pasta exported to the U.S. market, which we have also supported with a strong campaign in the international media,” the associations said in a statement.
Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks at a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
