There are only two more weeks until the regular season starts, which means the Los Angeles Lakers have until then to trim their roster to meet NBA rules.
It has been often noted that the Lakers have 16 players on the roster, one more than the league allows. For months, many have pointed to former first round pick Dalton Knecht as the likely odd man out. With preseason already flying by, the Lakers don’t have much time to either work out a “consolidation” trade, as GM Rob Pelinka put it, or decide which player to waive.
It sure feels like everyone on the roster has a legitimate case to stick around … maybe except for Knecht, the 25-year-old former University of Tennessee star. Knecht has gone from averaging nearly 22 points per game as a college senior to an NBA prospect with limited potential, to suddenly a player who might be on the verge of being shown the back door.
Lakers Encouraged to Make the Decision Now
Preseason was supposed to be a fresh opportunity for Knecht to re-establish his place on the Lakers roster. After the first two games, most would argue that Knecht has only hurt his stock.
“This is all why Los Angeles Lakers guard/wing Dalton Knecht is sticking out like a sore thumb through two preseason games,” Lake Show Life’s Collin Keane argued. “Unlike guys like Cameron Carr or William Kyle, who are flying around the court joyously for the Lakers, Knecht mostly saunters around like he doesn’t give a darn. Knecht is in the NBA because of his shooting, but he hoisted just one shot in 12 minutes of action against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Though his playing time was limited against Sacramento, there was far more than one opportunity for Knecht to let it fly. He seemed like he didn’t care to.”
No one can say for sure what derailed the momentum Knecht discovered as a rookie. Most point to the failed 2025 trade deadline trade. And if that’s indeed the case, Keane argued that Knecht isn’t built to last in the NBA.
“If Knecht’s really been on a downward confidence spiral since getting (almost) traded, maybe he’s simply not cut out for the NBA from a mental standpoint,” Keane wrote. “After all, hundreds upon hundreds of far greater players than Knecht have been traded in this league and didn’t miss a beat. It’s part of the profession. If Knecht’s still in his feelings about that ordeal, or about the fact that the Lakers have moved on to shinier, newer wings like Carr, he’s probably not going to succeed at this level.”
The Reality Seems Crystal Clear
The Lakers have until the end of the month to either accept or decline Knecht’s team-option for the 2027-28 season. Even if Knecht does make it a few more weeks on the Lakers roster, the expectation is that L.A. won’t be entertaining one more season of Knecht.
“The Lakers have until Oct. 31 — Halloween, spooky time — to make a decision on Dalton Knecht and whether or not they want him under contract next year at $6.4 million,” team reporter Trevor Lane said on the Lakers Nation YouTube channel. “Last year, they went ahead and picked up the $4.2 million team-option. My assumption is that if they had to make a decision right now, they would not pick up the $6.4 million team-option on Dalton Knecht. He’s got between now and Halloween to change their mind. … I hope Dalton comes out and he is great (in preseason) and he turns it around. If he doesn’t, and the Lakers don’t pick up that team-option, he’s probably the clear candidate to get cut.”
What especially stings fans about Knecht’s shortcomings is frustrations over consecutive failed draft picks. Unless Knecht has a resurrection for the absolute ages, the Lakers will blame themselves when looking back on their first round picks in 2023 and 2024.
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