The consensus among Los Angeles Lakers fans has long been that both the franchise and Dalton Knecht are better off heading in separate directions. That makes sense. So, what's with the wait?
Are the Lakers simply holding off for the right offer before heading for their much-needed split from Knecht? Maybe that's part of it. Could it actually be a matter of there being no market for the second-year scorer? That's the ugly reality many may not want to admit to.
It's hard to know what the exact circumstances are here without being in the Lakers front office. However, a player who has failed to improve on defense and actually regressed on offense is hard to view as a hot commodity on the trade market.
There is a good chance Knecht gets moved before Feb. 5. If that is the case, Lakers fans may want to prepare for the trade return to be a whole lot lighter than some may believe is possible for the former first-round pick.
Dalton Knecht’s trade value is a nightmare the Lakers must navigate
The Lakers invested the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to select Knecht. They're not going to get first-round value for him on the trade market at this stage. There just has not been enough on-court product to justify that type of return.
If Knecht is dreaming about a fresh start, the Lakers sophomore has to know part of the reason he can't get it is himself. Nothing about his play warrants another franchise to be in tireless pursuit of the 24-year-old.
Knecht needs the ball in his hands to be at his best on offense, but he's not good enough to warrant it over the better players on the Lakers roster. The defensive end of the basketball court is an area where the less said, the better.
To quote the Warriors GM: "When you make a demand, there needs to be a demand." https://t.co/LfDWSe2ARl
— Svyatoslav Rovenchuk (@JJBuckets17) January 28, 2026
There was speculation recently about Knecht demanding a trade from the Lakers. Trevor Lane stepped in to refute that claim.
Lane said, "I’ve been told that that is false and that did not happen. So Dalton Knecht demanding a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, again, what I’ve been told is that never happened."
It is a good thing here too that Anthony Irwin was off the mark (shocker) with his Knecht report. It would be an embarrassing look for a trade demand to be made given the circumstances.
If the Lakers can trade Knecht before Feb. 5, they probably should. Whether they get anything resembling positive value remains the big question mark. For that, the Lakers scoreer has no one to blame but himself.