Lakers Trade Pitch Moves Dalton Knecht in Six-Player Deal Amid Latest Development

It hasn’t been a great showing for Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the NBA Summer League. Knecht, a second-year player, was hoping to go out there and only play a few games after showing some bright spots during his rookie season. 

However, Knecht is averaging just 7.0 points per game, shooting 25% from the field and 0-9 from 3-point range. 

Some believe that the Lakers could move on from him in the offseason, but this certainly isn’t helping his value. Despite that, in a recent deal from Sports Illustrated, the Lakers would move on from him and more in a trade involving the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. 

Hawks Receive: Coby White

Lakers Receive: Jalen Smith and Jevon Carter

Bulls Receive: Kobe Bufkin, Knecht, Gabe Vincent, and an unprotected 20311st round pick swap (via LAL)

“They get another center and a veteran guard to continue rounding out their team. Jalen Smith is one of the best value contracts in the league and would be perfect behind Deandre Ayton. Jaxson Hayes had moments last season, but is not the best option for the backup role on the team. Smith is a huge upgrade on offense and Carter is a solid deep bench option that comes cheap,” they wrote.

Will Lakers Trade Dalton Knecht This Offseason?

There have been questions about whether the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to give up on Knecht, which Sports Illustrated questioned after this proposal. Getting Smith and Carter in return could be intriguing, but Smith isn’t exactly great, and Carter isn’t getting any younger. 

“Are they ready to give up on Knecht and are they willing to part with draft capital to do this? Smith has issues defensively and Carter is unlikely to be an important piece in the playoffs.”

Knecht acknowledged that he didn’t play well for the Lakers during the first two games of the summer league. According to Lakers Nation, the youngster had the following to say about his performance:

“Took a while for me to get going, I mean I didn’t get going at all. Just gotta come out ready to play better tomorrow and come out with more confidence, shake off the rust.

“And then as a team, I think my teammates were great. They all came out competing, picking up full court, rebounding, crashing the glass hard. I’m proud of my teammates and they did great,” he said.

Dalton Knecht Has Gloomy Future in LA

Knecht still has plenty to prove for the Los Angeles Lakers. They put him in a trade involving Mark Williams, but the deal was later rescinded due to health concerns about the Charlotte Hornets’ big man at the time, who was recently traded to the Phoenix Suns. 

Regarding what Knecht’s future could be in Los Angeles moving forward, Jovan Buha of The Athletic believes that he’s nothing more than the eighth or night man, which is a somewhat telling sign.

“Basically, it comes down to the Lakers only have so many assets to trade, and Dalton Knecht I think at best next season is an eighth man and probably is an eighth, ninth man,” Buha said. “And when thinking about the Lakers trying to get a starting center or a starting wing, you need to give something up to get that player.”

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