When the Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, it was believed the team had gotten the steal of the draft. Knecht was an All-American at Tennessee and was expected to be able to step in and make an impact immediately with his shooting and scoring ability.
Early on in his rookie season, Knecht seemed to be living up to that expectation, but as the year went on his struggles defensively led to him falling out of the rotation. The rescinded trade that saw him sent to the Charlotte Hornets only made things more awkward when he returned and he has yet to find his footing in his second season.
With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, many players are sure to hear their names floating around in rumors and to no surprise Knecht is among them. According to Broderick Turner and Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the L.A. Times, the Lakers are willing to part with Knecht in a deal at the deadline:
Lakers seldom-used guard Dalton Knecht has been a player that NBA people say L.A. is willing to move in a trade, along with a second-round pick attached to him to make it work.
This really shouldn’t come as any surprise as the Lakers showed last year that they were willing to move Knecht if the right deal came along. Unfortunately, his trade value has only decreased, hence why the Lakers would likely have to include a draft pick in a potential deal, but he has had a handful of good games this season when given increased minutes.
Particularly early in the season, Knecht proved once again that he is a capable scorer at the NBA level and has multiple games with double-digit points while showing an increased willingness to sacrifice his body on the defensive end.
But he hasn’t been able to secure a consistent spot in the rotation and with the Lakers on the market for upgrades on the wing, Knecht is a piece that could be on the move at the deadline on Feb. 5.
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