The Los Angeles Lakers may have found a potential trade partner for Dalton Knecht. The question now is whether they can agree on a price before time runs out.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha believes draft compensation could be holding up a potential deal between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks involving backup center Jericho Sims, with both teams facing Monday’s roster deadline.
Appearing on Hoops Talk With Allen Sliwa, Buha suggested that the difference between one and two second-round picks could complicate negotiations.
“If it’s one second-round pick, I think you could justify that,” Buha said. “If it’s two second-round picks, I think that’s a bit of a steep price for a player of Jericho Sims’ caliber.”
“So that is maybe where that potential haggle point is between those two sides,” he added.
Buha was offering his assessment, not reporting a confirmed disagreement over draft compensation.
Lakers, Bucks Face Complicated Decision Over Dalton Knecht
NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory discussions about a framework sending Knecht and second-round draft capital to Milwaukee in exchange for Sims.
However, Fischer also reported pessimism among sources briefed on the talks that a deal would materialize.
For Los Angeles, acquiring Sims would add another option to its center rotation behind Walker Kessler, alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney.
But the proposed exchange would not solve the Lakers’ roster crunch. Trading Knecht for Sims would leave Los Angeles with the same number of players, requiring another roster move to reach the league’s 15-player limit.
Milwaukee faces a similar problem.
Fischer reported that the Bucks have also explored potential trades involving Caris LeVert and Kevin Porter Jr. as they try to avoid releasing players under contract.
The Bucks could also gamble on the Lakers waiving Knecht and attempt to acquire him without surrendering Sims. That approach carries risk, however, because another team could claim Knecht off waivers.
L.A. Could Make Dalton Knecht Decision Before Monday
Buha believes the Lakers may have to act well before Monday’s deadline.
He explained that teams generally prefer waiving players roughly 48 hours ahead of the roster cutoff to allow them to clear waivers and avoid additional daily salary-cap charges.
“If they can’t do it today or tomorrow by the 48-hour cutoff, then we could see Dalton get waived by tomorrow,” Buha said.
The insider also pointed to a subtle detail that caught his attention in the Lakers’ recent six-minute training camp video.
Knecht appeared briefly in a team huddle but received no individual highlights or interviews.
“I thought the messaging, like socially, has kind of been distancing themselves from Dalton,” Buha said.
He acknowledged that Bronny James and Jaden Hardy also received limited screen time but found Knecht’s near-absence particularly telling.
Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, has struggled to establish a consistent role in Los Angeles.
Now, the Lakers must decide whether acquiring Sims is worth sacrificing additional draft capital, particularly when the reported trade would not eliminate their need for another roster move.
And with Milwaukee potentially able to wait for Knecht to hit waivers, the Lakers may have less leverage than they would like.
Lakers Insider Reveals Potential Holdup in Dalton Knecht-Bucks Trade Talks