Former Duke star Mark Williams clowns Lakers after series loss, claps back at rescinded trade

The Los Angeles Lakers' season came to an end after a regular season the team hasn’t seen in quite some time. However, the playoff run that both the team and its fans had hoped for never materialized, as Los Angeles faced the hottest team in the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers' biggest issue was their inability to guard against Minnesota's size. The team’s primary center didn’t log a single minute, having effectively disappeared during the series. However, Los Angeles could have had a center if they hadn’t rescinded the trade for Mark Williams back in February at the trade deadline—something many believe should never have happened.

“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,” said Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

The rescinded trade created a great deal of tension between the two teams, leading the Hornets to publicly call out the Lakers for aggressively pursuing Williams, only to back out of the deal.

“We are excited to welcome Mark back to our Hornets organization. After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him,” the Hornets said.

At the time, Dalton Knecht was playing valuable minutes for the Lakers and was likely their biggest asset for trade value. Once the trade was rescinded, Knecht returned to the Lakers and opened up about the entire process. He had even been on the Hornets' sideline for a game before learning he would have to come back.

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On Wednesday night, after the Lakers' loss, it was Williams who got the last laugh. He took to social media to troll Los Angeles with one of the biggest memes of the past decade.

Mark Williams on IG celebrating the Lakers’ downfall: pic.twitter.com/aiCVP5lCW3

It’s safe to say that, right about now, the Lakers wish that trade had gone through. Williams certainly could have helped with size during this season, and now, the trade becomes a what if for the Lakers.