By all accounts, the Los Angeles Lakers will waive Dalton Knecht before the 2026-27 NBA season begins if the team can’t find a trade to send him somewhere else.
Knecht has been on the outside of the Lakers’ final roster spot battle the entire offseason, and all reports from training camp signal he’ll likely be on the way out by October 19 at the latest.
However, while Los Angeles is expected to cut ties with Knecht after failing to find a trade partner to take him, there is a slight chance the third-year wing could stay on the roster, and he showed why during the team’s recent preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.
Dalton Knecht Gets ‘Glimmer Of Hope’ After Lakers Preseason Game
Though the Lakers were blown out in their preseason loss to the Warriors, Knecht put together a decent showing. In 22 minutes, he scored 11 points, grabbed one rebound, had one assist, and was a +3 while on the court.
Though the stakes weren’t those of a regular-season game, Knecht clearly didn’t give in to the rumors and reporting about his uncertain Lakers future. That, according to Maxwell Ogden of LakeShowLife.com, could give the wing a ‘glimmer of hope’ that he still has a chance of beating out Jaden Hardy for the team’s final roster spot.
“In his second 2026-27 preseason game, however, Knecht left the door open for a different story to be written. On a night when nothing seemed to be working for the Lakers, Knecht overcame the odds to turn in a strong all-around showing in a surprisingly prominent role,” he wrote.
“All in all, he was far more assertive than he was in the preseason opener, when he attempted one shot in 12 minutes. That shift to a more confident approach to scoring could prove essential to Knecht tapping into his potential and reminding skeptics of why he was the No. 17 pick.”
Knecht played the second-most minutes for the Lakers in the loss to Golden State. A trade or roster cut still feels inevitable, but in what might be one of his last chances to prove his worth to head coach JJ Redick and the team’s top decision-makers, Knecht didn’t necessarily fumble the opportunity.
“In saying that, Knecht finding his rhythm as a shot creator during the preseason could lead to a valuable return to form as a shooter,” Ogden closed by saying. “If he does, then Knecht, who averaged 17.0 points per 36 minutes as a rookie, could stave off elimination from the Lakers’ roster and defy the odds that are seemingly stacked against him.”
If the third-year wing can turn the tables on the previously forgone conclusion that he’d be off the team soon, it would be a near-miracle for Knecht. But still, even if the Lakers are dead-set on getting him off the roster, it’s no guarantee this is his final chance in the NBA.
LA’s Wing Can Still Be Traded For A New Opportunity
There’s already been a lot of reporting on Knecht’s chances of being waived; there’s no need to get into that further, as it’s pretty clear his career in Los Angeles hasn’t worked out as planned.
Instead, what’s more interesting is the idea of a trade. The Lakers tried moving him in his rookie year, and according to NBA insider Brett Siegel, they nearly swapped him for Buddy Hield earlier in the offseason.
Los Angeles is still reportedly interested in making a trade, preferably a ‘2 for 1’ consolidation trade to move Knecht and either Hardy or Jarred Vanderbilt, and one team in particular stands out as a landing spot: the Chicago Bulls.
As Siegel mentioned, center Jalen Smith is a perfect trade target for the Lakers, and if they could swap Knecht, Hardy, and perhaps a pick, that’s a move Los Angeles should make immediately.
“The Lakers could definitely use another big man on their bench, preferably someone who could stretch the floor, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Pelinka move players like Knecht and Hardy in a deal,” he wrote. “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.”
• Lakers Jalen Smith
• Bulls Jaden Hardy Dalton Knecht 2032 second-round pick (via WAS) 2033 second-round pick (via LAL)
The Lakers should be interested in acquiring another rotational big man to complete the opening night roster.
Additionally, the Bulls are in need of a shooter like Knecht. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Ben Golliver recently noted in two separate articles, perimeter shooting is what the team is missing right now.
“Is there enough spacing on this roster to allow Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis to develop offensively?” Marks wondered.
“But Chicago’s half-court offense will almost certainly struggle due to its limited arsenal of outside shooters,” Golliver predicted. “The Bulls ranked 18th in 3-point percentage and sixth in attempts last season. Both rankings will likely drop in 2026-27.”
Knecht could be a fix to that hole, as it’s clear the Lakers don’t value him as much as a team like Chicago might.
But even if he’s not traded and just waived, Knecht should eye the Bulls as his next team. He has a skill set they need, and if he doesn’t land there in a Lakers trade, Chicago could be the best place to keep his NBA career alive after it’s been on life support for the past few months in Los Angeles.
Dalton Knecht Gets Good News, ‘Glimmer Of Hope’ Before Lakers Cut Ties