Multiple NBA teams made roster cuts before 5 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. While the Los Angeles Lakers were among them, they kept a notable name.
It was widely expected that the Lakers would finally cut ties with forward Dalton Knecht, who for months has been rampantly speculated as the odd man out as the team deals with a roster squeeze. As of Sunday morning, Knecht remains a Laker, and it appears the franchise has not given up on finding a trade for the former first round pick.
Knecht’s unsatisfactory play from last season and through this year’s preseason has unquestionably made him a candidate to exit L.A., whether the Lakers deal him in a trade or simply waive him. It isn’t a complete stunner that the Lakers chose to hold on to Knecht past yesterday’s unofficial deadline given their need for another center.
Lakers Urged to Hang on to Knecht
While many Lakers fans are down on Knecht, some have argued that L.A. is better off waiving his draftmate Bronny James, who has been nothing short of a lightning rod for criticism since entering the NBA as the 55th pick in the draft. While James clearly outplayed Knecht last season, some believe that the Lakers would be making a mistake by dumping a recent first round pick.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn urges the Lakers to hang on to Knecht as a future trade chip if they cannot trade him right now, and instead consider moving on from James.
“If I were the Lakers, I’d be trying to trade Bronny right now to some owner who wants to sell some jerseys,” Quinn wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I’d rather keep Knecht on the books as possible trade salary than cut him and deal with dead money. The Lakers don’t really need the James brand like other teams do.”
James’ preseason play has certainly generated some opinions. While it is easy to overreact to the exhibition games, Quinn believes James hasn’t shown nearly enough offensively after two seasons.
“(He) Just hasn’t reached the point of offensive viability through two years, and the defensive threshold is just so freaking high at that size that if he’s never gonna make shots, he basically has to be a Jamal Shead-level pest to even justify a roster spot and he isn’t,” Quinn wrote.
L.A. Seems Decided on Knecht
For those hoping that the Lakers could still hang on to Knecht, it appears that the team is ready to move the 25-year-old forward.
“The Lakers have continued making recent trade calls in attempts to move Dalton Knecht instead of outright waiving him, with LA having communication with the Bucks, Bulls, and Jazz, among others, sources told @ClutchPoints. It’s become clear Knecht’s future isn’t with the Lakers,” Siegel reported on X, formerly Twitter.
The other big thing here is Knecht’s perspective. While he is keeping things professional, it sure sounds like he has accepted his likely Lakers fate.
“Yeah, you see (things) … people send me stuff,” Knecht told The Athletic’s Dan Woike when asked about the rescinded trade to the Hornets in February 2025. “All that s— is bulls—. A lot of it … I really understand it is a business. It happens. Got sent back. Cool. Still got a shot here and still keep playing. They drafted me for a reason, so I just go out there and keep hooping and stay confident. I don’t think anything has changed from that.”
Knecht is still relatively young and could be nearing a fresh start with a new team. He is likely to get another opportunity to prove that he belongs in the NBA.
Lakers Pushed to Trade Bronny James Instead of Cutting Former 1st-Round Pick