Third-year NBA player Dalton Knecht is expected to see his messy tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers come to an end very soon, as he’s the most likely name on the roster to be cut or traded before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Knecht was selected 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, but his time on the Lakers didn’t go as planned. Along with trying to trade him during his rookie season, Los Angeles reportedly almost moved him this summer in a deal for Buddy Hield.
Now, with just a few weeks before the start of the new season, Knecht is the most likely candidate to either be waived or traded from the Lakers.
But despite all of that, even though Knecht hasn’t shined in his two seasons in Los Angeles, who’s to say this is the end of his NBA journey?
Dalton Knecht Could Find New Home Amid Lakers Rumors
Amid all the reporting about Knecht’s time likely coming to an end with the Lakers, one team writer believes the 25-year-old shooting guard should get a fresh start on a new team.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, despite his poor showing playing in the Purple and Gold, Maxwell Ogden has hope Knecht can continue his NBA career on a different roster, should he be waived or traded from the Lakers.
“Dalton Knecht needs a chance to start over after (his) tumultuous Lakers run,” he wrote. “In a different situation, perhaps Knecht could get back to playing how he prefers and develop other areas of his game while still reaping the benefits of a role that suits him. Perhaps not. Either way, the Lakers don’t appear to be the team that’s best suited to help Knecht develop into the player he briefly looked destined to become.”
As Ogden also mentioned, Knecht’s time playing for the Lakers hasn’t been all bad. The shooter showed signs of being a rotational player during his rookie season, but failed to continue that trend into his second year, which has led to him now sitting on the outside of the team’s impending roster cut.
“Entering December of 2024, Knecht looked the part of a potential starter for the Lakers. He’d scored at least 20 points in four of his previous seven games. That includes a 37-point eruption against the Utah Jazz and a 27-point showing against the New Orleans Pelicans,” he added.
“Through November, Knecht had recorded averages of 12.2 points and 2.5 three-point field goals made in 23.7 minutes per game on .497/.439/.889 shooting—a captivating 19-game sample size.”
Regardless, Knecht’s time in Los Angeles looks like it’s coming to an end. NBA insiders Brett Siegel and Jovan Buha have made that clear in recent reporting.
However, just because Knecht likely won’t be playing with the Lakers (whether it’s through a trade or roster cut), there’s a chance one team in particular could be interested in his services.
LA’s Failed Rookie Could Get Fresh Start Through A Trade
If Knecht is looking to continue his NBA career, he should look no further than the Chicago Bulls.
That’s a young team with a few standout forwards who play at a fast pace and are always looking to add more shooters to fit the timeline of their rising stars. If Knecht is waived, he could head to Chicago and ask for a job.
Additionally, there is the potential that the Lakers trade Knecht to Chicago; as in Siegel’s recent reporting, he indicated a deal between the two teams can’t be ruled out.
“Jalen Smith is the type of player that would make sense for LA to target in this scenario since he’s in the final year of his contract. Chicago would have no problem taking on two contracts from a financial perspective, and taking a chance on younger players like Hardy and Knecht could make sense for them as well. Keep an eye on his status.”
This isn’t the first time Knecht has been linked to a Bulls move for Smith, and if Chicago’s willing to take him, it could be the fresh start he needs to revamp his career.
Still, all signs point to Knecht off the Lakers roster in the coming weeks.
“I would say Dalton and Hardy are probably the two guys they’re looking to get off of,” Buha said. “If they can’t, then they have to waive one of them. And I think at this point, Hardy is more established. He’s previously played with Luka on that Finals team in 2024, and I think Dalton would be the one that gets waived.”
“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on Dalton Knecht to fight for this roster spot with Jaden Hardy in training camp,” he said. “One of them is most likely going to be cut, and it wouldn’t shock me if it ended up being Dalton Knecht,” Siegel added. “Overall, the Lakers’ roster crunch is certainly centered on Knecht…as things just haven’t worked out for the 25-year-old.”
Knecht has career averages of 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 46/36.8/75.5 shooting splits in 132 total games, all of which have been with the Lakers so far.
Dalton Knecht Tipped For Fresh Start As Lakers Trade, Roster Cut Looms