Lakers reportedly working on Dalton Knecht trade ahead of regular season image
Dalton Knecht and the Los Angeles Lakers’ partnership appears to be coming to an end, one way or another.
According to a report from the Stein Line’s Marc Stein, the Lakers have been exploring a trade involving the struggling 25-year-old guard ahead of the upcoming regular season.
“The Lakers spent the weekend trying to find a workable trade to ship out Dalton Knecht and maybe even bring back a big man — such as Milwaukee's Jericho Sims, as Jake revealed in his Thursday piece — to shave their roster from 16 guaranteed contracts to 15,” Stein reported Sunday night. “If no trade can be found, they'll have to waive Knecht (or someone else) by the cut-down buzzer.”
After starting his Lakers tenure on a promising note (he averaged 9.1 points per game as a rookie while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from three as a score-first wing), Knecht's one-dimensional offense and below-average defense quickly led to a downturn.
Knecht, who was in and out of JJ Redick’s lineup in Year 2, contributed 4.2 points per game on 45.5% shooting from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc. As a result, Knecht has been viewed as a legitimate trade candidate in Los Angeles, and Stein’s latest intel revealed that the organization wants to wash its hands of the former first-round pick as soon as possible.
Needless to say, Knecht’s days with the Lakers are likely numbered.
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