Los Angeles Lakers Legend Magic Johnson Was Wrong About Dalton Knecht

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On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will open up their 2026-27 regular season when they host Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Ahead of the season, teams need to finalize their rosters.

The Lakers announced (on Monday) that they had waived Dalton Knecht.

ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote: “The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving 2024 No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht, sources tell ESPN.”

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania · Follow

The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving 2024 No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht, sources tell ESPN.

4:50 pm · 19 Oct 2026

60197 Reply Copy link Read 2877 replies

Los Angeles Lakers Legend Magic Johnson Was Wrong

It’s worth noting that Lakers legend (and Basketball Hall of Famer) Magic Johnson had high hopes for Knecht when he was drafted.

Johnson wrote (on June 27, 2024): “Laker Nation, outstanding pick last night by our Lakers selecting Dalton Knecht – I love it! Dalton is just what the Lakers need, a deadly 3-point shooter/scorer who is physically tough and has swag. He also played for a winning program and really good college coach at Tennessee, Rick Barnes! Dalton is a guy that has a chance to start or play a lot off the bench.”

Earvin Magic Johnson

@MagicJohnson · Follow

Laker Nation, outstanding pick last night by our Lakers selecting Dalton Knecht – I love it! Dalton is just what the Lakers need, a deadly 3-point shooter/scorer who is physically tough and has swag. He also played for a winning program and really good college coach at Tennessee,

1:31 pm · 27 Jun 2024

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Looking At Knecht

Knecht was the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

He has spent both of his NBA seasons with the Lakers.

As a rookie, Knecht had averages of 9.1 points per contest while shooting 37.6% from three-point range in 78 games (16 starts).

That said, the 25-year-old fell out of the rotation this past year (and only averaged 10.2 minutes of playing time per contest).

Social Media Reacts To Knecht News

Here’s what people were saying:

Kevin O’Connor: “Wild how far Dalton Knecht has fallen after the fast start to his career. Seems like things really turned after the reversed Mark Williams trade. Already 25 years old but he was a late bloomer in college after multiple transfers so maybe that’ll happen in the NBA too. We’ll see.”

Sam Vecenie: “Knecht had that awesome early month but never figured out the defensive stuff rotationally and away from the ball. Think Tennessee did a pretty good job of minimizing those issues (even if they were still there). Also think the failed trade had an impact.”

Bobby Marks: “Roster down to 15 guaranteed contracts. Knecht has a $4.2M cap hit No salary obligation for next season.”