The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the top teams floated as a potential candidate to make big moves in trade rumors, with just three weeks before the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
While many reports on the Lakers have been highlighted by the players they are expected to target, not much has been made about the players they’d potentially send out in a deal. However, with Austin Reaves sidelined, yet in line for a max contract extension over the summer, he’d likely only be traded if the team adds a superstar, which, as the days go on, feels more and more out of reach.
Yet still, Los Angeles is expected to make a move before the deadline, whether it be for a rotational player like Keon Ellis of the Sacramento Kings or a plug-in starter able to transform their defensive potential, like Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Regardless of the deal they make, one player has stood out with an uncertain future in Laker Land, that being 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht, who the front office already tried and failed to trade last season, but now in 2026, he remains the most likely player to once again be moved before the February 5th trade deadline.
Lakers Predicted To Cut Ties With Dalton Knecht In Trade Rumors
As mentioned, the Lakers already tried to trade the second-year shooter in Knecht last season for Mark Williams in a deal that was blown up due to a failed physical. Since then, the former Tennessee Volunteer has been on the outside of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation, spending much of his time on the G-League South Bay Lakers, and, while appearing in 33 games this season, has seen a major drop in his numbers.
In those games, Knecht is putting up only 5.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on 43.6/31.1/68.8 shooting splits, with just one start while averaging just 13.4 minutes per game, all of which are down from his rookie season.
After the front office failed to have the trade go through for Knecht last season, his future in Los Angeles has looked bleak, and now, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, he’s expected to be moved, or at least attempted to be moved, once again before the 2026 trade deadline.
“The Lakers’ challenge as the deadline approaches is finding ways to supplement their meager cache of draft picks. L.A. currently has one first-round pick that is tradable outright (either in 2031 or 2032) and just one second-rounder (in 2032),” Pelton wrote. “That makes a trade contingent — in large part — on another team vaulting on Knecht, the No. 17 pick of the 2024 draft who has yet to prove the kind of steal the Lakers thought they were getting.”
While the shooting hasn’t been what Knecht showed in the college ranks, his defense, like the rest of the roster, remains a major concern, only increasing the likelihood that they’ll move away from the 6’6” wing.
Luka Doncic Injury Update
One player that is unequivocally safe from the ample Lakers trade rumors is Luka Doncic, who, unlike Reaves or LeBron James, is under contract for the next few years after signing an extension over the summer, after being traded to Los Angeles in that infamous deal.
However, while he leads the league in scoring and is the bona fide superstar of the franchise, a recent injury has put a question mark over Doncic.
According to the star himself, he’s been dealing with a left groin injury recently. The Slovenian discussed the lingering injury after their loss to the Kings on Monday.
“Yeah, I was really uncertain,” Doncic said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Before the game warming up, I felt something. I was just trying to get warm and get going. But tomorrow, we will see how I wake up.”
Doncic was listed as questionable but ended up playing in the Lakers’ game the next day against the Atlanta Hawks, putting up 27 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, but with seven turnovers, while being outshined by James’ near triple-double.
This current injury has yet to sideline him for a game, but it should be followed closely as the days go on, with Los Angeles already dealing with James in and out of the injury report, and Reaves still set to miss more time with a calf strain.
For now, however, Lakers trade rumors remain the more pertinent topic, as they hope to make a move to secure some added defensive help before the deadline, whether that includes sending Knecht out or not.
Lakers Predicted To Trade First-Round Pick Amid Doncic Injury Concerns