The Los Angeles Lakers made waves after they acquired Luka Dončić in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks at the beginning of February last season, but the addition of the superstar guard was just one step in Los Angeles' planned revamp of the team. The next piece of the puzzle was acquiring then-Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams in a trade, but things weren't meant to be.

The deal was all but done, with Williams heading to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap, but the Lakers pulled back on the deal just a few days later after they announced that Williams had failed to meet their physical criteria. 

“I didn’t think there was any world (where) I could fail my physical,” Williams said after the trade fell through (via The Athletic). “Every time I’ve been out, it’s been documented, so I don’t know for them if it was what they gave up or what went into that reasoning, but I don’t think it was solely because of my physical."

It's been almost a year since that fateful non-trade and Williams, now with the Phoenix Suns, is still sore about the ordeal. 

He recently appeared on The Old Man and the Three podcast and sounded off on the Lakers and his situation.

"And then they tell me [about the failed physical/rescinded trade]. I'm like, that can't be, like, I just played the Bucks that night that I got the call I'm getting traded. I'm out here. They're like, 'Yeah, it's done. Like, we're not going back," Williams said (via Bleacher Report). 

Williams continued, "So I'm hot. I was excited. I was like, it's time. Charlotte wanted to trade me, whatever. I'm excited. We're playing the first game out of the break, and then I have to go back to Charlotte. So, All-Star break I'm just like ‘what the f*ck."

Poetically, Williams' first game played since the trade fell through was against the Lakers, and Williams scored 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists in a 100-97 Charlotte victory. 

"I was just trying to show them honestly, like ‘f*ck you all.’ I was excited to go there. I thought I was like a piece that could really help them. Obviously, going into the playoffs, once they lost, obviously, I tweeted a little smiley face like I was hating. I was hating."

One of the Lakers' primary issues has been defense, especially as of late, and pursuing Williams in the first place was the Lakers' attempt at trying to remedy that defensive issue. 

Things obviously didn't materialize and while Williams has moved on to the Phoenix Suns 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, the Lakers instead found their center in Deandre Ayton.