To the surprise of almost nobody, the Los Angeles Lakers waived Dalton Knecht the day before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Knecht was selected by the Lakers 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and while he showed glimpses of being a rotational player in the league, he never made that work in his two seasons playing in Los Angeles.
But while the Lakers waived Knecht, a decision that now forces the young player to look elsewhere to continue his NBA career, it’s hard to blame the 25-year-old, as the team’s recent draft history made it all but clear he was never going to stay around long-term.
Dalton Knecht Isn’t To Blame For Lakers Decision To Cut Ties
Along with nearly trading him his rookie season and openly shopping him this past summer, Knecht was never set up for success with the Lakers.
Looking at the team’s recent draft history, Kyle Kuzma is the only player to sign a rookie extension with the franchise. He was then traded a year later.
That’s right, the Lakers had drafted 38 players in the last 20 years, and Kuzma was the only one who they gave a contract extension to. With that, it’s hard to see Knecht ever staying around long-term, as the team continues to show they don’t develop or keep the young prospects they add through the draft.
Even looking at the team’s recent draft history under general manager Rob Pelinka, it’s clear to see he was never going to be a part of the team’s plan for the rest of the decade.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have a clear problem in finding talent through the draft under Rob Pelinka, and his record looks worse after Dalton Knecht was waived ahead of his third NBA season. Pelinka has made three first-round picks since taking over as lead decision-maker in 2019,” Tyler Watts wrote for LakeShowLife.com.
“He did draft Max Christie, Bronny James, Adou Thiero, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Maxwell Lewis in the second round. Christie became a positive rotation piece before the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks in the Luka deal. The young wing wasn’t good enough to hold up the blockbuster. Bronny and Thiero still have time to become something, but one rotation piece in eight drafts is a problem.”
Before Kuzma, Andrew Bynum, selected in 2005, was the last player to sign a rookie extension with the Lakers.
Knecht didn’t show the promise either of those two did through their first few seasons playing in the Purple and Gold, but regardless, Los Angeles continues to cast off the young players they pick up over and over again.
Still, Knecht is now gone, as both sides have finally moved on from what has been a messy relationship over the past two years.
Los Angeles Waited Too Long To Move The 2024 First-Round Pick
As mentioned, the Lakers tried to trade Knecht in the past and were rumored to be close to a deal before the start of the season.
However, after the failed Mark Williams trade in early 2025, things fell off a cliff for the young forward. His minutes and production dropped, while Los Angeles put him in the G League more and more.
His confidence clearly wasn’t the same after the failed trade, and while they reportedly tried to move him this past summer, it was too late.
As Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote, perhaps moving him in the 2025 offseason or the 2026 trade deadline when he still had value would have been the right move for both the team and the player.
“When is the right time to trade someone? In Dalton Knecht’s case, it would have been at any point when he had a lick of value. Instead, Rob Pelinka held on too long and the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to release him for absolutely nothing,” he wrote. “Did the Lakers cut their losses at the 2026 NBA trade deadline? No. They stood pat with the guy who was not getting minutes and had no way of becoming an impactful contributor for the team once more.”
Instead, the Lakers waited until his value was almost at zero, partly by their own doing.
As head coach JJ Redick said recently, Knecht just didn’t fit the direction of the team.
“I think the biggest thing is the team changed. The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years. I think, particularly last year, each guy got
“I think the biggest thing is the team changed. The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years. I think, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the injuries we had. I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”
But instead of getting anything back in return, cutting ties with Knecht is just another mark in the Lakers’ poor draft history, casting off a player who once had value, but failed to get the development he needed to become a rotational NBA player.
Cameron Carr is the Lakers’ latest draft pickup, and perhaps he can change the team’s poor history.
Dalton Knecht Isn’t To Blame For Lakers Decision To Cut Ties