It looks like the Dalton Knecht experiment in Los Angeles has run its course. And with 16 players on the roster entering next month’s training camp, Knecht has been widely predicted to be waived if the Lakers can’t find any takers for him.
There aren’t too many teams clamoring to trade for Knecht, who hasn’t lived up to his high billing in his two years in the league. However, one interesting Lakers trade idea involving the Toronto Raptors may prove to be a win-win situation.
Lakers Trade Idea Flips Knecht
Lakers would receive: Jamison Battle, 2029 second-round pick (via TOR)
Raptors would receive: Dalton Knecht (via TPE)
The straightforward trade would see the Lakers acquire Jamison Battle’s expiring $2.3M salary and a future second-round pick for good measure. The Raptors, meanwhile, would be taking a flyer on Knecht, who can be waived in a year if he doesn’t prove to be a good fit next to Scottie Barnes and Co.
Why the Lakers Do It
The 6-foor-7 Battle has a lot of untapped potential, as he proved during his heroic performance in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year. The 25-year-old came off the bench to score a perfect 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including 4-of-4 from deep, to script the Raptors’ 126-104 victory.
In his two seasons with the Raptors, Battle has shown the potential to turn into an NBA-level sharpshooter, having connected on 40.7% of his threes. He also has positional size to turn into a solid defender, especially within the right system.
The Lakers have everything to gain by taking a chance on Battle, who projects to turn into a better shooter than Knecht at the NBA level. And if the experiment doesn’t work, they can simply waive him next summer. The Lakers also have the option of keeping Battle on the roster through training camp and preseason and waiving him before the regular season — if they haven’t made the requisite roster cuts.
Why the Raptors Do It
Much like Battle, Knecht has a lot of untapped potential. While the Lakers have failed to unearth it, perhaps the Raptors could.
Knecht definitely looked like a bona fide NBA sniper as a rookie, when he averaged 1.7 made threes at a clip of 37.6%. He vanished from the rotation in his second year, averaging just 10.2 minutes across 54 games. His drop-off was surprising, given that Lakers head coach JJ Redick hyped him up as a core franchise piece.
Perhaps he may thrive under a different system and a coach.
Lakers Proposed to Trade Dalton Knecht for High Upside 3-and-D Wing