If the outlook on Dalton Knecht wasn’t bleak enough over the 2026 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first preseason game should be considered a nail in the coffin on the former first-round pick’s future with the team, as a trade or roster cut is expected to be imminent.
Knecht is the main candidate to be the final roster cut made by the Lakers to get under the 15-man roster limit. The franchise is hopeful to trade him in a package with Jarred Vanderbilt to get some new talent in return, but after their first preseason game, it doesn’t look like Los Angeles is going to find a trade partner for the third-year shooting wing.
By all accounts, Knecht sealed his fate after the Lakers’ latest game against the Sacramento Kings. One top insider reported Knecht was already in the closing stages of his career in the Purple and Gold, and after what he showed on Monday night, it’s nearly a foregone conclusion that he’s either traded or cut before the regular season begins.
Dalton Knecht’s Days Are Numbered In Los Angeles
Speaking on his show after the Lakers’ preseason win over the Kings, team insider Jovan Buha believes that after Knecht was one of two players who didn’t see minutes through the first three quarters of the game, his fate is sealed.
“This should come as no surprise, in my opinion,” Buha said about both Knecht and Vanderbilt, whom he then revealed have been put on the trade market for the Lakers for the past two years.
Los Angeles previously tried to trade Knecht once, and attempted once again this summer. The 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft just hasn’t panned out on the Lakers, and all reports indicate his days are numbered.
“Right now, I think (Jaden) Hardy is winning the (final roster spot) competition,” Buha said in just one of his many recent comments about Knecht likely seeing his Lakers’ tenure come to an end. “If it really comes down to it, I think Knecht is the clear odd man out, and we’ll see if LA is able to pull off a trade. But if not, I think he’s going to be waived.”
“One of them is most likely going to be cut, and it wouldn’t shock me if it ended up being Dalton Knecht,” Brett Siegel recently wrote. “Overall, the Lakers’ roster crunch is certainly centered on Knecht…as things just haven’t worked out for the 25-year-old.”
The Lakers are still hopeful to make a ‘2 for 1’ consolidation trade sending out Knecht and Vanderbilt, but if one hasn’t come through yet, it’s unlikely they’ll find a partner before the season begins. If that is the case, Knecht will be waived in the team’s final roster cut before the regular season.
Lakers Failed First-Round Pick Didn’t Show Much In Preseason Game
Knecht had a chance to prove himself as necessary to keep on this Lakers roster, but that didn’t happen against the Kings on Monday night.
Though he only played in the fourth quarter, the 25-year-old scored zero points after missing his lone shot attempt, grabbed two rebounds, had one assist, and was pretty invisible on the court.
As Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote, Knecht’s preseason outing doesn’t bode well for his future playing in the Purple and Gold.
“The contributions from Knecht were minimal. The third-year wing was one of only two Lakers to be held without a point on Monday. That does not bode well for his immediate future amid a coming roster trim.”
Additionally, as Rovenchuk wrote in a separate article for LakeShowLife.com, Knecht’s showing only further proved the ‘painful reality’ that he won’t be on the roster very soon. Based on where his value looks to be right now, somehow making a late trade is the only option left for the Lakers to salvage any remaining value Knecht has left.
“It was rumored throughout the offseason that Los Angeles was searching for a way to offload Knecht and Vanderbilt together in a trade. That pursuit may need a refocused effort before the regular season starts if Rob Pelinka is aligned with what Redick is showing him,” he wrote. “In a perfect world, the Lakers would be fortunate to package the pair for more frontcourt depth behind Walker Kessler. There have been no takers thus far. When Knecht and Vanderbilt are not figuring into Redick’s plans, and Pelinka is dealing with little leverage, it makes sense.”
None of this is to say Knecht’s NBA career will be over when he’s presumably off the Lakers. He has a skill set teams around the league would love to have; it just never worked out for him in Los Angeles.
Knecht is likely on the cusp of being traded or cut by the Lakers, as there has been no indication he’s made a strong enough case to stay on the roster for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign.
Dalton Knecht Dealt ‘Painful’ Trade, Roster Cut News After Lakers Preseason Game