After the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in February, the five-time All-Star met with general manager Rob Pelinka and asked him to trade for a specific player.
Doncic wanted to play with a center who was a lob threat since he had success playing with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in Dallas.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams was Doncic's preferred lob partner. Pelinka traded Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and a future first-round pick to the Hornets for Williams.
However, Williams failed his physical with the Lakers, so the trade was rescinded.
"He failed the team's physical examination, and the Lakers 'just couldn't live with what they saw,' a source with knowledge of the subject told ESPN," McMenamin wrote.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77)
Doncic and the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's playoffs in five games. Jaxson Hayes started Games 1-4, but he didn't play at all in the second half of Game 4 and was benched entirely in Game 5.
In Game 5, the Lakers were outrebounded 54-37, including 18-8 on the offensive glass. Rudy Gobert destroyed Los Angeles with 27 points and 24 rebounds.
Pelinka conducted his end-of-the-season press conference on Thursday. He told local reporters that the Lakers need to acquire a center this summer.
"We know this offseason, one of our primary goals is going to be to add size in our frontcourt at the center position," Pelinka said. "This roster needs more size and needs a center. That's a very clear and obvious by-product of trading potentially the best big in the league to Dallas to get a point guard. Of course, that's going to open up a huge hole.
"The trade deadline and the moments up to it don't allow you the requisite time to explore every single unturned stone to add a big to our roster. We just didn't have the time after the Luka trade. But now we do."
