If the 2024-25 campaign taught us all anything, it's that no one is safe in this league. Luka Doncic certainly learned that lesson. Dalton Knecht was almost in the same boat.
After Doncic arrived in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers needed a center. That process almost banished Knecht to basketball hell, also known as Charlotte.
The Lakers rookie was forced to move past the awkward Mark Williams trade fiasco. However, the story is not expected to end there.
With the Lakers continuing to stare down obvious roster holes, and a familiar price needing to be paid to patch up those issues, Knecht's future with the team is as volatile as ever. There will be plenty of teams calling about the Lakers sharpshooter. Rob Pelinka will certainly not hang those up quickly.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic immediately stick out as a trade suitor for Knecht. The biggest strengths on the court for the Lakers marksman are some of the Magic's worst deficiencies.
Orlando ranked last in the NBA when it came to 3-point percentage with a mark of 31.8. That is significantly worse than the 29th-ranked Washington Wizards (33.5 percent).
The Magic also placed themselves into the bottom five of the NBA when it came to offensive rating in 2024-25. Their rating of 108.9 was 27th in the league.
Some combination of underrated big man Goga Bitadze, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and potentially other pieces for a package including Knecht could be enough for the Magic to generate intrigue out of Pelinka. The pathway to a deal is certainly there.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are another team whose connection to the Los Angeles Lakers makes way too much sense. It's an obvious situation of 'you have something I want, and I have something you want.'
For the Lakers, Nicolas Claxton is a big man who has enjoyed his fair bit of links to the Lakers. The two-way big man is built in the mold of the type of center that would thrive playing with Doncic.
Meanwhile, the Nets suffer from similar issues to that of the Magic. They ranked 28th in the 2024-25 regular season when it came to their offensive rating (108.1). Likewise, they were towards the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting percentage, placing 25th, with a mark of 34.4.
Knecht would provide the Nets with the offensive boost they need. Claxton would offer an athletic lob threat who can defend the rim at the other end. Matching salaries would be the biggest obstacle for this deal to get done.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons got a chance to see just how great Cade Cunningham can be with adequate spacing around him. Two of the men who made that possible, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., will hit free agency in 2025.
Detroit may be so intrigued by the idea of spacing out the floor that they will reportedly be joining the pursuits of Naz Reid and Myles Turner this summer. The idea of Jalen Duren putting on purple and gold suddenly becomes a fascinating thought.
The Pistons can offer themselves the freedom to comfortably move away from at least one of their free agent shooters and replace them with Knecht. Each party can leave this potential trade quite satisfied.