Dalton Knecht's processing and decision-making issues, declining shooting, defensive limitations, lack of overall development, and poor trade value ultimately led the Lakers to move on from him after failing for a year to find a deal.
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The Los Angeles Lakers' decision to waive Dalton Knecht appears to have gone beyond his declining shooting and defensive limitations.
The Lakers waived Knecht ahead of the roster deadline, cutting their guaranteed roster from 16 players to 15.
"Processing and decision-making," NBA reporter Jovan Buha cited as the main reasons for the waiver. "But that is a function of IQ, or I guess that's like the broader concern."
"Certainly his processing and decision-making were not at the level that the Lakers wanted it to be at or needed it to be at," he added.
"I would agree that that was a bigger issue than even his skill set not really developing or his defense or anything else. Even the shooting slipping a bit."
Buha then directly connected that problem to both the Lakers' decision to move on and the lack of interest from the rest of the league.
"I think this part of it was the biggest issue of all and the biggest reason why not only did the Lakers want to move on from him, but why a lot of the league has been reluctant to potentially take him on."
"He regressed as a shooter in a real way from the first half of his rookie season throughout the rest of his career up to this point," Buha continued. "And he never dramatically improved as a defender, as a processor, as a decision-maker."
Lakers could not find a trade partner
Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation highlighted the financial fallout of the move, noting how the front office's long-term plan fell short.
"The Lakers decided to pick up Dalton Knecht's $4.2 million team option for 2026-27 last October, assuming at the very least they would be able to trade him," Starkand wrote on X.
"After trying for a year, they obviously found no takers and now will keep his dead money on their books for the upcoming season if he is not claimed on waivers (he won't be). Poor asset management has become a theme for this front office over the years."
The Lakers had continued trying to find a trade throughout last season, the summer, and into training camp, according to Buha, but no deal materialized.
"They did not rehab him as an asset. They did not flip him," Buha said. "And so that decision now looks just kind of silly because they're going to have this $4.2 million just dead on their cap for this season."
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