The Charlotte Hornets selected Mark Williams with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. However, his time with the team has already ended, as the team traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week.
While it’s certainly not the most shocking trade the Lakers pulled off this past week, the move caught a lot of people by surprise. While the center has had his fair share of injuries during his short NBA career so far, he’s been putting up very strong per-possession numbers this season. Williams might not be living up to the level of his draft status, but the move has made a lot of people around the NBA wonder why Charlotte was willing to part ways with him now that he’s finally settling in.
NBA on TNT reporter Jared Greenberg seemed to have an answer Thursday night when he reported that the Hornets organization had a lot of concerns about Williams’ overall health.
“I was told there was some concern within the four walls of the Charlotte Hornets that Mark Williams has some issues with his body, including a bad back… that back injury has prevented him from being able to get in the weight room.”
– @JaredSGreenbergpic.twitter.com/oc0U0YQVre
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 7, 2025
“I was told there was some concern within the four walls of the Charlotte Hornets that Mark Williams has some issues with his body, including a bad back that has limited his playing time,” reported Greenberg. “That back injury has prevented him from being able to get in the weight room, add strength. That has really stunted his growth.”
That doesn’t sound great for the Lakers, and some wondered if they had just been fleeced. They’d given up several players and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick for Williams, who missed almost a year following a back contusion and tendon strain.
On Friday, Greenberg took the unusual step of coming forward and admitting he’d gotten bad intel.
“I issued a report, from a reliable source, on Mark Williams being limited in the weight room due to an issue with his back,” wrote Greenberg on X. “I’ve since found out that report was inaccurate – I have the highest of standards and I apologize for any info that was disseminated incorrectly.”
— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) February 7, 2025
We can read between the lines here and presume that someone with a vested interest in protecting the Hornets from negative publicity surrounding the deal wanted to plant some seeds. And presuming Williams passed his Lakers physical, the details weren’t adding up.
Obviously, reporting bad intel is a huge no-no, and whatever sourcing issues led to this error need to be rectified. But Greenberg deserves credit for coming clean when it became clear he’d been given bad information. Not everyone in the business does that.
As always, this is a good reminder to consider the sources when you’re getting “insider” news.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.