The Los Angeles Lakers had their media day on Monday, and no one was left out, not the core stars nor those speculated not to remain with the franchise before the trade deadline. The likes of Dalton Knecht belong to the latter.
Knecht is entering his third year, and his Lakers future hasn’t held solid ground ever since he was almost traded to the Charlotte Hornets two seasons ago. Entering this summer, he was speculated to be one of the more certain movers, but as of yet, he is still wearing the purple-and-gold and, from the looks of it, will be for training camp.
The forward just wants to keep his head in the game and see what the future holds, either in L.A. or somewhere else.
“It’s always high. My confidence will never drop no matter what the situation is,” Knecht said during Lakers media day.
Knecht, like some other low-minute stars, will have chances to impress in training camp and preseason. This can build the case for being a good contributor on the roster for the upcoming season.
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The Lakers agreed to a deal with the Hornets for center Mark Williams at the trade deadline. They had used Knecht in the trade package, but the deal didn’t go through due to health issues for the Charlotte star.
Ever since then, it became clear at least to Knecht that he was always going to be a chip. It didn’t happen at the deadline, but the summer was always going to be a possibility even though nothing has happened at this stage. The Lakers will have to make a decision soon on who remains on the team ahead of tip-off next month.
Knecht is one name speculated to be in any trade or cut list depending on how the Lakers see their situation. The franchise could explore at least one more addition on the wings to make up for their Jonathan Kuminga miss. In that case they may require to set a trade package which could see pieces being moved.
Carving a role now in JJ Redick’s team will be a tall task given how the Lakers have stocked the forward position. Knecht wasn’t even in line for the main rotation even before the roster overhaul began. He will now be further down the pecking order with players like Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams now in the mix.
Available Chances for Knecht in L.A.
Knecht played 78 games in his rookie year, averaging just under 20 minutes a game in 16 starts. That number was expected to come up in his second year but instead, it went down.
Knecht has the ceiling if trusted. He already showed in his rookie year that he can shoot and be a decent backup piece. However, staying is not guaranteed even with a team-friendly salary.
The advantage for Knecht is that his deal is easily pickable for any franchise looking for fillers to complete their own roster or non-competing teams looking to grab a 25-year-old forward on the cheap.
The next few weeks will be crucial to whether Knecht remains in L.A. by the time the Golden State Warriors visit for opening night.
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