We are marching closer to the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. Training camp and media day are right around the corner. But the Los Angeles Lakers have more work to do.
Like many teams, the Lakers are above the roster limit. No biggie. But what is significant is that L.A. has multiple areas on the roster that still has a question mark.
The Lakers could be on the hunt for a big man to help backup Walker Kessler. They could also look to trade for another wing, if not explore their remaining free agent options. As for existing players on the roster, a couple have particularly uncertain futures.
Which Lakers Player Could Be on the Move?
One Laker who has frequently been mentioned in trade rumors is rising third-year guard Dalton Knecht. A former first round pick, Knecht took a noticeable step back last season after flashing moments of stardom as a rookie.
According to Heavy’s own Sean Deveney, the Lakers are starting to feel good about finding a trade partner for Knecht, the 25-year-old sharpshooter.
“The Lakers are currently at about $200.5 million in payroll, about $500,000 below the$201 million luxury-tax threshold,” Deveney wrote. “They’d like to make a trade, and in doing so, would like to cut out some money in doing so to stay below the threshold. That could mean moving off of the $6 million owed to Jaden Hardy or the $4.2 million owed to Dalton Knecht. Trading them into someone’s exception would be ideal, and the Lakers are said to have some confidence in finding a taker for Knecht, who is still only 25 years old and was considered a potential Top 10 pick two years ago.”
There are stumbling blocks in potential Knecht trade. For one, the Lakers may need to attach draft picks to a deal to incentivize a team to take Knecht. The problem? Surrendering picks to unload a player is always unflattering … oh, and the Lakers don’t have many picks to begin with.
“There are only a handful of teams that might make sense for Knecht, but the Lakers’ big issue is that they have very little draft capital — three future second-rounders and one pick swap — to attach to get a team to take Knecht.”
The Writing Has Been On the Wall
For Knecht, these trade rumors could be seen a mile away. As soon as the Lakers started loading up on incoming talent and pushing the roster limit, major momentum picked up toward a Knecht exit.
And if the Lakers aren’t able to move Knecht in a trade before the start of the season, there could be a possibility that the guard gets waived.
“Frankly, it’s unfortunate, but Bronny (James) was better than Dalton last year. And it wasn’t particularly close,” Lane said. “… I think there’s a world where the Lakers could waive Dalton Knecht … I think there’s a world where waiving Dalton Knecht makes the most sense.”
In his sophomore season, Knecht’s numbers dropped to just 4.2 points per game as he was limited to just 10.2 minutes per contest.
Report: Lakers ‘Confidence’ in Trade Grows as Young Guard Gets Bad News