The Hornets are selling their power again! Many strong teams are eyeing each other, and the Lakers are not planning to chase them

According to Jake Weinbach, a well-known NBA whistleblower, the Charlotte Hornets are planning to put young center Mark Williams on the trading shelves again. The 23-year-old inside player seems to be no longer in the team's future blueprint.

Before the trading deadline in February this year, Williams almost put on the Los Angeles Lakers' jersey, but the deal accidentally broke down at the last moment. Nowadays, with the trading market undercurrents resurfaced, many teams such as the Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Raptors and Warriors have been regarded as potential suitors. It is worth noting that the Lakers, who were once infinitely close to him, did not appear on the rumor list this time.

This season, Mark Williams averaged 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and sent 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks at the same time. His shooting percentage was as high as 58.6% and his free throw percentage reached 78%. Solid inside finishing ability and rebounding sense make it have reliable combat effectiveness.

As the No. 15 pick in the first round of the 2022 draft, Williams is currently in his third year of his rookie contract, with a salary of only $4.09 million this season. The upcoming 2025-26 season, that is, the last year of its rookie contract, will earn only $6.28 million. Such a "baby price" contract, combined with practical attributes that can grab and cover, is a scarce resource in today's alliance with soaring salary.

A league insider admitted: "Mark's value is obvious. Being able to lock a young center with a rookie contract with averaging nearly double-double per game and is very efficient will be a huge boost to any competitive team. If the Hornets really let go this time, the battle for the competition will probably be very fierce."

As the offseason trading gate is about to open, Mark Williams' movements are destined to touch the nerves of multiple teams. Let's wait and see who this inside star will eventually fall.