Matt Johnson
The Los Angeles Lakers will have some big decisions to make this offseason regarding a potential future with LeBron James and a looming Austin Reaves free agency. However, the circulating NBA rumors right now center around another deal the team reportedly wants to make.
According to Jovan Buha, the Lakers are “going to be shopping” guard Dalton Knecht throughout the summer. While it’s unclear how much interest there’ll be in the former first-round pick, Los Angeles will scour around the league for potential options.
- Dalton Knecht stats (2025-26): 4.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.6 3PM per game, 30.4% 3PT
Knecht, who will be 25 years old later this month, has played just 515 total minutes across 50 games during the regular season. He made his lone start on Nov. 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, recording 8 points with 4 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. He’s only played 20-plus minutes five times this season and the last time it happened came on Nov. 15.
He hasn’t been part of the Lakers rotation in more than a month. He played 16 minutes on Feb. 10 against the San Antonio Spurs, a 136-108 loss. Even including that action, Knecht has averaged just 4.5 minutes played per game in 16 appearances since Jan. 15.
- Dalton Knecht contract (Spotrac): $4.201 million cap hit (2026-27), $6.452 million club option for 2027-28 season, RFA in 2028
It’s a steep decline for the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Knecht showed flashes of promise as a rookie, averaging 1.6 three-pointers made per game while shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 9.1 PPG. It’s worth noting, however, that a majority of that production came in his first 19 games, when he shot 43.9 percent from the perimeter and averaged 2.5 three-pointers made and 12.2 PPG.
Knecht’s brought limited value as a perimeter scorer since then, and the 6-foot-6 forward is also widely viewed as one of the worst defenders in the NBA. Given how expendable he’s proven to be for the Lakers, it’s hard to see him having much trade value this summer.
