Southeast Notes: Williams, Wizards Moves, Magic, Gueye

The Hornets are in the awkward position of having Mark Williams back on their roster after their trade with the Lakers was rescinded. Charlotte released a statement (Twitter link) welcoming Williams back to the team. The franchise made it clear that the third-year big man will be back in the starting lineup.

“After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him,” the statement read in part. “We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin the roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

• The Wizards were very busy before the trade deadline, making four deals, highlighted by the Kyle Kuzma swap with Milwaukee. The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar praised the front office’s approach, believing that the moves achieved the Wizards’ goals of landing young players with upside, adding draft picks, creating long-term financial flexibility and acquiring high-character veterans.
• The Magic own 20 draft picks over the next seven years and didn’t feel the need to give away assets at the trade deadline, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Weltman believes Orlando will naturally have a stronger second half with the return of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. “We didn’t jump [Thursday] because we felt that the right deals didn’t present themselves [and] that the timing of the trade deadline coincided with us being in a little bit of a slump generated a little bit of a squeeze effect where the league looks to squeeze long-term assets for short-term solutions,” Weltman said. “And there are some teams that are in positions where they need[ed] to make moves like that, and we don’t count ourselves as one of those teams. We count ourselves as a growing team and we’re going to continue to grow. I remain very excited about where this team is headed.”
• Hawks big man Mouhamed Gueye delivered his best performance of the season on Friday with 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks against Milwaukee. The 2023 second-round pick told Spencer Davies of RG.com in an extensive interview he’s ready for an expanded role. “Just keep doing what I’m doing, be aggressive on defense and on offense,” Gueye said. “Obviously, I’m gonna knock down shots. It’s gonna come. But just keep working and don’t worry about anything else. It’s the same mindset. Just be there, compete, play hard. Make or miss a shot, next play. Really just competing.”