It is almost that time of year again. We are just over a month away from the start of the regular season and even closer to preseason and training camp. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, are still in offseason mode.
The Lakers still have time before they’ll have to trim their roster; the team has 16 players under contract, one more than the NBA-mandated limit. With that, former first round pick Dalton Knecht has often been a subject of conversation this offseason.
If the Lakers decide not to make a trade, chances are someone near the bottom of the depth chart gets waived. And there are really only a few options who could get the boot.
Lakers Advised to Let Go of Once-Promising Wing
If only, for the Lakers’ sake, we could go back to that time when he was launching 3-pointer after 3-pointer, each one leaving his hands with more confidence, each attempt seeing him hold the pose longer, knowing it would go through the net.
That version of Knecht seems long gone and, according to Grant Mona of Lakers Roundtable, the only option L.A. has is to make a tough decision on the 25-year-old forward.
“Knecht’s trade value is limited by those numbers, but he is still young enough and cheap enough that a team looking for upside might be willing to take a swing,” Mona wrote. “The Lakers are not in a position to give away assets, but keeping a player on the roster who cannot crack the rotation behind (Luka) Doncic and Austin Reaves is not doing anyone any favors either.”
Knecht’s drop off from Year 1 to Year 2 has been commonly mentioned. A former No. 17 pick in the NBA Draft, Knecht’s regression as a sophomore was perhaps the most disappointing part of the Lakers 2025-26 season, which was otherwise awesome before ill-fated injuries to Doncic and Reaves late in the season.
L.A. Shopping Knecht, Along With Another Player
Recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers are exploring ways to move Knecht and veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt. So far, there have been no takers.
While Vanderbilt’s contract will continue to make it challenging for the Lakers to trade him, Knecht value is minimal because of his lack of production after two seasons, as the California Post’s Valentina Martinez detailed.
“The 25-year-old has failed to be a reliable or relevant piece for the Lakers, though, since the Hornets trade was rescinded,” Martinez wrote of Knecht. “Knecht had received less playing time because of the lack of production, which is likely why the Lakers are shopping their once highly touted first-round pick. The Lakers missed out on Jonathan Kuminga, who would have given the squad a versatile wing defender. LA still has a hole on the roster, but the Lakers evidently still are looking to address their biggest need before the start of the season.”
The Lakers have until the end of October to make a decision on Knecht’s $6.4 million team-option. But Knecht could find his way out of town sooner if the Lakers aren’t able to deal him in a trade.
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