The Los Angeles Lakers went from thinking they got the steal of the 2024 draft in Dalton Knecht to drafting what could very well be his replacement two years later. They acquired Cameron Carr, the No. 24 pick on Tuesday, in a trade with the Knicks.
Knecht is still under contract for at least one more season, as the Lakers picked up his $4.2 million option. He could be traded before the front office has to decide on his $6.5 million club option for 2027-28, and that could especially be the case if Los Angeles re-signs Luke Kennard, who is an unrestricted free agent.
Now that Carr is coming to town, the Lakers have even more reason to move off Knecht, which was already very much so in the realm of possibility after his second season in the league. He averaged 4.2 points (down from 9.1) on 45.5% shooting from the field and 34.2% from three. His minutes dropped from 19.2 to 10.2 per game as a result of his offensive woes.
Carr can help in that area. The six-foot-five guard out of Baylor (he ironically transferred from Tennessee in his third season, which is where Knecht transferred to) averaged 18.9 points and 2.6 assists per game on 49.4% shooting from the field and 37.4% from deep on 6.1 attempts per game.
Cameron Carr could mark the end of Knecht's time with Lakers
Knecht became an afterthought in the second half of the season. Even with LA missing Luka Dončić for the entirety of the postseason, and Austin Reaves for most of it, he played a combined 10 minutes in the first round and eight in the semifinals.
It was Kennard's shooting and playmaking that helped keep the Lakers afloat without their top two scorers, while Knecht, who Los Angeles hoped it could turn to in times like that, spent the majority of the time watching from the bench.
It's telling that the Lakers moved up to get Carr, even though it was only one spot. He's the kind of player they thought Knecht would be for them. He's a great three-point shooter, which ticks off the biggest box, and a good cutter who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, an obvious fit alongside someone like Dončić. What value he will be able to provide on the defensive end, at least right away, is more of a question mark, but the upside is there.
That's what matters to the Lakers, and it's hard not to see their vision behind moving up to draft him. It's also not hard to see that it could mean the end of Knecht (for real this time), or even if he does stay around, it won't be beyond the 2026-27 season, if he makes it to next offseason in LA.
At this point, it would probably be best for Knecht to start anew elsewhere, so in the end, the Lakers drafting Carr could actually benefit him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google