The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everyone by trading for Luka Doncic just five days before the NBA trade deadline, and then surprised everyone again two days later when they called off their trade for 7-foot center Mark Williams.

For a short time, the Lakers seemed to be in a great spot, making moves to help LeBron James now while also building for the future. That’s the kind of strategy that can help a team aim for a championship.

But just as quickly as things changed for the better, the Lakers had to switch gears again.

Crazy Trade Deadline Action

At 9:01 p.m. ET on Saturday, almost a week after the Doncic trade was set — which cost them Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and their 2029 first-round pick — the Williams deal was off. Williams was supposed to join the Lakers in a trade for rookie Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish with the Charlotte Hornets, which was agreed upon on Wednesday night. But he didn’t pass the physical exam, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. It wasn’t just his back injury from last season; there were several other issues that raised red flags.

Now, as Knecht and Reddish get ready to head back to the Lakers, since many are saying that they’ll probably be back soon, the team’s roster still has “continued work to do to become complete,” as Rob Pelinka, the VP of basketball operations and GM, put it.

The problem is, the trade deadline has come and gone. The chance to make moves is over. And now, James and Doncic’s situations don’t quite match up anymore.

Instead of showing off results after Pelinka’s first big meeting with Doncic on Feb. 3 — where Doncic even picked Williams for Pelinka to try and trade for — a source said that their partnership started off on a rough note.

Lakers Had the Wildest Trades

Now, the Lakers are left with Jaxson Hayes, who’s more of a backup, as their starting center. The only other big guys on the team are Christian Wood, who’s out for the season after knee surgery, and two two-way contract players, Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III.

It’s been a crazy week for the franchise, with one team source saying the Lakers’ approach was “aggressive,” but it ended up feeling more like a half-baked plan. After what might be the wildest and most transformative trade deadline in Lakers history, they’ve fallen short in their first effort to please Doncic — knowing he’ll be a free agent in 2026 and that L.A. wants to make sure he feels good about signing an extension — and they haven’t been able to make the most of James’ 22nd season by not getting the big man Pelinka admitted they really need.