Dalton Knecht was almost banished to Charlotte midway through the 2024-25 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The second-year scorer may be able to avoid a fate so heinous this season, but it is tough to imagine him avoiding a trade altogether once Rob Pelinka gets going in 2025-26.
Knecht had a brutal summer league with the Lakers. The 24-year-old averaged 10.3 points per game with horrendous shooting numbers, knocking down a woeful 27.9 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc.
It was so bad that JJ Redick was forced to defend him at a recent press conference hosted by the Lakers for their head coach and President of Basketball Operations. That is not an experience that exudes confidence in a young player.
Redick said, "The guy did too much after the season. And I think in summer league, he was burnt out. He was coming in here at 5 AM, getting shots up, then doing two workouts with our summer league staff and in the weight room."
The Lakers head coach added that Knecht was in a better spot with his conditioning and mentality of late. Even with that endorsement, it is difficult to envision how the second-year pro secures a long-term future in Los Angeles.
Dalton Knecht is the logical throw-in for a title-chasing move in Los Angeles
Beyond Knecht's disappointing play, there are few other players that just make as much sense as he does when it comes to being included in a trade package for a championship pursuit. With the Lakers in win-now mode, they will undoubtedly be eyeing upgrades before the NBA trade deadline.
Even with Knecht's trade value dipping, the Lakers will still have few other young players they would be willing to include in a deal as sweetener. Bronny James is certainly not going to be added to a trade any time soon.
It might not even be a case of Knecht adding value to a trade. It may just be as simple as his $4.0 million salary being used to make up the difference in acquiring a player alongside the rest of the package that Pelinka and the Lakers would be sending out.
Knecht's main value to the team on the court is his shooting. That was not enough to reliably keep him on the floor last season. The 2024-25 rookie faded out of the rotation by year's end due to defensive concerns.
The fact that Knecht could not get playing time for a team that was desperately crying out for rotational help says a lot. The Lakers improved that department this offseason. With no guaranteed path to the floor in Los Angeles, Knecht's playing time will most likely have to come elsewhere.