A new trade pitch aimed at the Los Angeles Lakers and their archrival Boston Celtics would send Dalton Knecht, now buried on the Lakers’ depth chart, to Boston for 6-foot-10 off-the-bench rebounder Luka Garza and a 2028 second-round pick.
That is the swap posted by user Juxx18 on the roster construction site FanSpo.
The draft pick involved is one that the Philadelphia 76ers sent north in the July Jaylen Brown deal that also shipped Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks Boston’s way. It is the most favorable of Golden State’s, Milwaukee’s and Oklahoma City’s 2028 seconds, according to Brett Siegel. Philadelphia kept the other two, and RealGM‘s pick ledger tracks the routes: Golden State’s via Portland and Washington, Milwaukee’s via Brooklyn, Houston and Oklahoma City.
Dalton Knecht, Luka Garza Career Profiles
Knecht, 25, was born April 19, 2001, in Fargo, N.D., and grew up in Thornton, Colo., according to Rotowire. A 6-foot-1 senior at Prairie View High, he drew no Division I offers, then developed at Northern Colorado before landing at Tennessee. He became SEC Player of the Year in 2023-24, averaging 21.7 points and 2.6 threes at 39.7 percent. The Lakers took him 17th, and he now measures 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, according to CBS Sports data.
He scored 9.1 points on 37.6 percent from three as a rookie, then 4.2 points on 34.2 percent in 10.2 minutes last season, according to ESPN‘s player statistics. His 2026-27 salary is $4,201,080, with a $6,452,859 team option for 2027-28, according to Spotrac, which also notes that a February 2025 trade sending him to Charlotte for Mark Williams was rescinded.
Garza, 27, was born Dec. 27, 1998, in Washington, D.C., and stands 6-foot-10, 243 pounds, according to Rotowire. Iowa’s all-time leading scorer and the 2020-21 national player of the year, he went 52nd to Detroit in 2021. Last season in Boston he hit 43.3 percent from three (55 of 127), according to ESPN. He earns $2,801,346 and reaches free agency in 2027, according to Spotrac.
Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics Salary Impact
The tax line is $200.428 million and the first apron $209.015 million, according to NBA.com. Los Angeles already sits roughly $600,000 over the tax, according to Silver Screen and Roll. Swapping Knecht for Garza saves about $1.4 million and could erase the bill.
Boston sits near $198.7 million, according to the JJNBA payroll tracker, so absorbing Knecht into a traded-player exception keeps the Celtics under the tax. Both teams would hard-cap at the first apron, and the Lakers would hit 16 standard contracts and have to waive one player, according to FanSpo.
Boston gets a cheap shooter on a team option through 2027-28. The Lakers get a stretch big, savings and a pick whose value hinges on Golden State and Milwaukee. Knecht’s minutes and accuracy both dropped in year two, while Garza just posted his best NBA season but now faces crowded minutes behind Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta and Chris Cenac.
On the numbers, the Lakers get the better end. Boston’s return depends on Knecht’s Tennessee shooting resurfacing.
Lakers Trade Pitch Lands Celtics Rebounder Luka Garza, Unloading Dalton Knecht