The Chicago Bulls have been one of a few teams linked to the Los Angeles Lakers sharpshooter, Dalton Knecht, throughout the preseason.
While there hasn’t been too much traction with those talks lately, there is some trade chatter heating up between LA and Chicago’s rival, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Suddenly, the Bucks are a team to watch in the sharpshooter’s market.
Chicago Bulls Target From Lakers Gets Linked To Eastern Conference Rival
NBA Insider Jake Fischer (via Stein Line) laid out the latest on the Knecht-Milwaukee saga:
“League sources say that the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would ship former first-round selection Dalton Knecht to Milwaukee (along with second-round draft capital) in exchange for big man Jericho Sims,” Fischer reported.
“Yet it must be said that I’ve also heard some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through. The Lakers might be forced, if no deal materializes between now and Monday’s deadline, to simply waive Knecht to get down to 15.”
It’s rare for trade talks to go this far and not materialize, but it’s certainly not an impossible situation. After all, this isn’t the first time Knecht was traded. During his rookie campaign, he was sent to the Charlotte Hornets, before the trade ended up failing days later.
Since the Bulls waited this long, they are better off sitting still and seeing if Knecht ends up hitting the waiver wire or open market instead, if they are still interested.
Dalton Knecht’s NBA Career
The 25-year-old guard had a busy college career. From 2019 to 2024, Knecht had runs with Northeastern JC, Northern Colorado, and Tennessee.
In 2024, the Lakers drafted Knecht with the 17th overall pick.
Over two seasons, he has appeared in 132 games, picking up 17 starts. Knecht has shot 36.8% from three, while averaging 7.1 points per game.
The Bulls currently have one roster spot open as the preseason concludes. It’s unclear what they plan to do at this time, but the team will likely see its fair share of changes throughout the year.