LOS ANGELES — Dalton Knecht, a 2024 first-round draft pick, saw his time with the Lakers come to an end.
The Lakers needed to cut one player from the active roster and opted to waive Knecht on Monday afternoon, a league source who was familiar with the decision but was unauthorized to speak publicly told the Southern California News Group, rather than trade the 25-year-old wing – and another player – in a two-for-one swap to get to 15 total players on fully guaranteed contracts.
The Lakers are on the hook for his $4.2 million contract for the 2026-27 season, while his team option for next year is now voided, and their roster for the season ahead is finalized.
Knecht never quite recovered to rookie season highs following the February 2025 canceled trade that would have sent the Tennessee product to the Charlotte Hornets along with Cam Reddish and draft compensation for center Mark Williams.
Williams failed his physical with the Lakers and the trade was rescinded, leading Knecht to return to the franchise that had traded him.
“Not too many people have done that: come back (after being traded),” Knecht told reporters after returning to the Lakers. “But at the end of the day, I just wanted to hoop.”
The Lakers had high hopes for Knecht, who was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In his rookie campaign in the 2024-25 season, Knecht showed promising shooting traits; playing in 78 games (19 starts) and averaging 9.1 points per game on 46.1% shooting from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range.
But during his sophomore season, Knecht fell out of favor with Lakers coach JJ Redick’s rotations, playing nearly 10 fewer minutes per game and failing to break back into a role – even after a plethora of injuries ravaged the Lakers late in the regular season.
When asked during preseason media day where his confidence was before training camp began, Knecht said it never wavered despite the inconsistent reps.
“It’s always high,” he said. “My confidence will never drop, no matter what the situation is. I know what type of player I am and what I’m capable of. So, I always just say whenever I’m on the court that I’m one of the best players on that court.”
Redick said on Oct. 3 that he spent time with Knecht during the offseason, speaking about the mental side of basketball and shooting technique. Now, however, Knecht will have to hope to land elsewhere for his next playing opportunity.
“I think the biggest thing is the team changed,” Redick said Friday of Knecht’s status. “The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed. I think he got better as a player over the last two years. I think each guy has, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had. So I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”
Knecht’s exit means guards Jaden Hardy and Bronny James are expected to remain on the 2026-27 roster as the season gets underway on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
Hardy, who previously played alongside Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks, arrived in L.A. after the Lakers received the combo guard and two second-round picks from the Washington Wizards in exchange for former starting center Deandre Ayton during the offseason. Hardy played sporadically during the preseason, mostly as the primary ball handler with bench units in the game.
James, the 22-year-old son of LeBron James, has his supporters within the organization and made developmental strides last season – becoming a rotational player and primary defender at times while the Lakers dealt with a handful of injuries before the regular season’s conclusion.
James, along with Knecht, was given an “excused absence” for practice on Monday for being under the weather. The Lakers’ practice was also in the hours before the 2 p.m. roster cut deadline.
Alongside forward Jarred Vanderbilt – who is in the third year of a four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed in September 2023 – the pair of guards will likely fill out the back end of the Lakers’ bench among fully-guaranteed contracts.
EXTRA POINTS
Lakers guard Collin Sexton was a full participant in practice on Monday for the first time since training camp began in September, potentially entering the fold for the team ahead of Wednesday night’s season opener.
“We’ll be taking it day-by-day,” Sexton said, speaking for the first time since media day. “At the end of the day, I had a really good practice today, felt good. Super excited to be back out there with the guys, so I look forward to it.”
Sexton was dealing with an undisclosed lower leg injury, and did not specify the injury other than saying that he felt tightness when asked about the ailment Monday.
Second-year wing Adou Thiero (undisclosed) and rookie guard Cameron Carr (undisclosed) did not practice on Monday afternoon, Redick said.