The fall from grace that Dalton Knecht has experienced with the Los Angeles Lakers has been tough to watch over the last two seasons. Knecht went from a promising rookie who played his way into the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend to traded for a day to bench-warming extraordinaire.
The sophomore scorer had minimal impact during the Lakers' 2025-26 season. Knecht averaged 4.2 points per game, shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc in his 54 appearances. Even reading the fact of him playing in 54 contests sound surprising.
Knecht was unfortunately an afterthought for much of this season. Some still believe the relationship between him and the Lakers is reparable. That may not ultimately be what is best for both parties.
It is tough to imagine Knecht breaks through in his third season after going in the complete opposite direction over these last two years. The former Tennessee product needs a fresh start. The Lakers do too. As painful as it may be to essentially admit to another draft mistake, Los Angeles should do right by both parties and officially end this partnership in the offseason.
Dalton Knecht needs to be freed from the Lakers
Part of this whole failed experience has surely been the Mark Williams trade. Knecht played his way out of the rotation by the end of his rookie season after awkwardly returning to Los Angeles following Williams' failed physical. That is not all there is to this story, though.
The Lakers want Knecht to be an off-ball scorer next to their stars. That is the role they have positioned him in.
The 25-year-old is a capable shooter, but his scoring punch would be far more consistent if given the opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often. That will not be happening in Los Angeles anytime soon.
Another issue here is very obvious, and that would be defense. Simple and plain: Knecht is not a good defender. That could matter far less on another team, but given the Lakers' other personnel, it matters in Los Angeles.
There are just so many reasons as to why the fit just does not make sense for either side anymore. Finding a trade that works for both parties would be in everyone's best interest.
It was surprising to not see the Lakers move on from Knecht before the 2026 NBA trade deadline. It would be downright mind-blowing to see him survive and make it onto next year's roster.
At that point, the Lakers would just be holding him hostage for no good reason. The path to regular minutes does not exist for him on this team. There will not be a point where he really recovers his value from where he is at present. Rob Pelinka needs to take the best deal available and move on.
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