Amidst a sea of criticism and uncertainty, the Los Angeles Lakers have committed to continuing to oversee the development of Dalton Knecht. It's unclear what lengths they're willing to go to in order to bring the best out of the second-year sharpshooter, but a commitment has been made nevertheless.
On the same day that Knecht was a healthy scratch from the Lakers' season opener, the franchise committed to the third year of his contract.
Knecht has been a passenger on a tumultuous ride since Los Angeles selected him at No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He started hot, erupting with scoring performances that put him in the early running for Rookie of the Year, but went on to struggle to secure consistent playing time.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers have confirmed there's still interest in exploring Knecht's value by picking up the club option for the third season on his rookie-scale contract.
The Lakers have exercised their contract option on Dalton Knecht for next season for $4.2 million, a source confirmed to ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 21, 2025
It's by no means a confirmation of Knecht having a future with the franchise, but it's at least a quiet vote of confidence in his potential to provide value.
Lakers exercise option on Dalton Knecht's rookie-scale contract
Rewind the time to November of 2024 and Knecht looked the part of the biggest steal of that year's NBA Draft. He'd put together a nine-game stretch in which he averaged 18.9 points per contest, peaking with a 37-point eruption that seemingly put the Association on notice.
Unfortunately, just six games later, Knecht began to receive fewer than 20 minutes per game—a trend that's yet to be sustainably broken.
Knecht stepped up again in March of 2025, eclipsing 10 points in nine out of 11 games. That includes his second 30-point game of the season, with a 32-point eruption against the Denver Nuggets that revealed, once more, how dynamic he can be.
Knecht failed to play even 10 minutes in five of the six appearances that followed his 11-game run of success, however, as the endless swing between peaks and valleys continued.
That trend continued on the opening night of the 2025-26 regular season, when Knecht was a healthy scratch. It was yet another development in a saga that seemed to imply the Lakers aren't prepared to invest in the sharpshooter as a key rotational cog.
By exercising the option for the third season on his four-year rookie-scale contract, however, Los Angeles has at least committed to his future as an asset.
Perhaps this is indicative of the Lakers' intention to continue developing Knecht into the player they need him to be. It may also reveal their intention to preserve the former Tennessee star's contractual future in order to include him in a potential trade.
Regardless of what the motivation proves to be, the Lakers are formally committing to another season of Knecht factoring into their plans in some capacity.