Dalton Knecht was once a promising rookie guard believed to be an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ future.
Fast forward to the midway point of the 2025-26 campaign, and the Tennessee product is no longer in the franchise’s long-term plans. Knecht’s one-dimensional offense, combined with his inspiring effort on the defensive end, has been a recipe for disaster in Los Angeles.
The 24-year-old recently demanded a trade from the Lakers, and with Keon Ellis and De’Andre Hunter being prized trade targets for the franchise, many believed the organization could swing a trade for one of the three-and-D wings.
With Ellis and Hunter being traded for one another on Saturday, the possibility of the Lakers including Knecht in a trade for either asset is no longer realistic. As a result, Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts believed the franchise missed the perfect opportunity to wash their hands of Knceht this year.
“Lakers whiffed on the best opportunity to trade Dalton Knecht for value,” Watts wrote Sunday. “The purple and gold are chasing championships. They have one of the three best players in the world in Luka Doncic.”
“The Lakers are searching for a 3-and-D wing and a rim protector. They had a shot to get the former and dump Knecht in the same trade, but Rob Pelinka couldn’t make it happen.”
“The front office plans on chasing upgrades on the open market this summer, which further complicates trading Knecht before the deadline passes on Feb. 5.”
Knecht may find himself on the Lakers’ roster beyond Feb. 5. If Los Angeles can’t identify an impactful trade featuring Knecht, who’s averaging 4.6 points per game on 44.2% field goal shooting and 31.9% three-point shooting this year, it’s likely the franchise won’t force a deal.
Needless to say, the Lakers are in great shape heading into the final stretch of the trade season.
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