Cooling on an Injury-Prone Target, Lakers?
For the majority of his career, Williams, who is still only 27, has had difficulty staying on the court. The Texas A&M product has only appeared in 61 of 246 games during the last three regular seasons. This stretch has been cruel. One that has characterized his experience in Portland and Boston.
Williams has played in just 26 games overall since being moved from the Boston Celtics to the Blazers in the summer of 2023. Only 20 games from the previous season are included. In his short playing time, he did record respectable per-game stats: 5.8 points on 64.1% shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 assists, and 0.7 steals.
However, if he is unable to maintain his health, none of it counts. And it’s said that the Lakers are considering that.
Williams is still valuable, even though it isn’t traded.
The last year of Williams’ contract is about to start. In 2025–2026, he is expected to make $13.3 million. He has earned a total of $48 million during his NBA career. However, given his inconsistent health history, it’s more likely that he will complete that deal in Portland. or gets waived and made available on a veteran minimum the following summer.
Behind Ayton, the Lakers have been looking into frontcourt depth options. A trustworthy rim protector off the bench is still missing from the rotation. Williams might have been a bargain on paper. However, durability issues are difficult to overlook.
Gazing Ahead
Williams has averaged 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 235 games throughout his six seasons with the Celtics and Blazers. He provides superior rim protection and energy when healthy. However, “when healthy” is now the issue of contention.
On paper, this looked like a rare win-win deal because the Trail Blazers had a ton of young centers and the Lakers needed a trustworthy lob threat to go with Luka Dončić.
It’s beginning to appear to be a non-starter instead.
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