The Los Angeles Lakers need to make a decision before the 2026 NBA trade deadline about how they value Dalton Knecht. If they find him to be an essential piece of the puzzle, then playing time must be provided to their most productive up-and-coming player.
In the event that Knecht is phased out of the rotation, however, he must be replaced by another up-and-coming talent in the most important trade the Lakers can make this season.
Los Angeles has benefited immensely from the team-friendly contracts it signed several key players to in previous offseasons. Many are due to expire in 2026, however, with the likes of Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent all eliglble for unrestricted free agency.
Even Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, who will make less than $13.3 million combined this season, will have player options that they could decline if they play well in 2025-26.
Compounded by the fact that LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, the Lakers could have a surplus of money to spend. That makes the presence of cost-efficient talent all the more important, particularly among the more developable players.
Knecht is one of the players who balances cost-efficiency and upside as a productive 24-year-old wing entering the second season of his rookie-scale deal, but his fit in Los Angeles is undetermined.
Lakers must prioritize cheap, up-and-coming talent on the trade market
If the Lakers ultimately decide that Knecht factors into their future plans, then they can proceed with confidence without needing to trade him. There are still other areas in which they must improve, but a redirection of priorities is a separate conversation.
In the event that Knecht is labeled as a player who no longer fits what the Lakers are looking for, then trading him for another developable talent on a team-friendly deal will be essential.
Los Angeles is currently playing only two players more than $20 million per season: Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Hachimura is third on the salary cap table at $18,259,259 and Reaves is fourth at $13,937,574. Their relatively low figures have created the opportunity for cap flexibility despite having two max-level salaries on the books.
That luxury will disappear this coming summer when Hachimura and Reaves potentially sign more lucrative deals—and Los Angeles will still have to pay or replace Vincent after that.
This isn't to suggest that the Lakers will be unable to retool during the 2026 offseason, as significant money is coming off the books. Between Hachimura, James, Maxi Kleber, Reaves, and Vincent, Los Angeles is about to shed $107,323,986 in salary—cap holds aside, of course.
Los Angeles could either re-sign their players or begin a complete retooling around Doncic that could result in high-level talent being added at multiple positions—or anything in between.
Surplus of expiring contracts will require Lakers to adapt
Regardless of what they choose to do, the need for cost-efficient and developable players persists. The top contenders are not only flush with talent that's ready to contribute to a championship, but has untapped potential and team-friendly salary figures.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an extreme example, but the previous two NBA champions had the likes of Christian Braun and Payton Pritchard in the same cost-efficient roles.
Perhaps Knecht is the player the Lakers need to fill that essential void, but an incurrence of costly salaries must be balanced by an emphasis being placed on affordable depth. As a team with limited draft assets, that means Los Angeles must make the most of the open market to offset a potential weakness.
The ideal scenario would be for Knecht to realize more of his potential in 2025-26, but the Lakers must keep an eye on the future of its rotation and salary cap table on the trade market.