Former Lakers Wing Dalton Knecht Signing With Knicks

Nov 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht (4) controls the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Nov 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht (4) controls the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former Lakers Wing Dalton Knecht Signing With Knicks

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Ron Gutterman | Last updated Oct 23, 2026 12:05 PM ET

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The Los Angeles Lakers officially parted ways with 2024 No. 17 overall pick Dalton Knecht on Monday. L.A. had to drop from 16 guaranteed contracts to 15, and explored every possible avenue to do so and get something back. It was clear Knecht was on the outs, but there was a hope that a trade might materialize.

Instead, the Lakers cut the first-round pick , and two days later he cleared waivers to become an unrestricted free agent. This ended Knecht’s time in L.A., signaling a second-consecutive failed first-round pick by Rob Pelinka. Now, Knecht is reportedly heading to the Big Apple to play for the defending champion New York Knicks on a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN:

Former Lakers forward Dalton Knecht has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks on a two-way NBA contract, his agents at Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. https://t.co/1gePugMy3Z

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2026

Knecht was in clear need of a fresh start ahead of his third NBA season. He had fallen completely out of favor with head coach JJ Redick, with some of the issues stemming all the way to his rookie season, when a trade sending him to the Charlotte Hornets was rescinded by L.A.

The sharpshooter played in 48 games prior to the trade being reported. He averaged 20.7 minutes per game, scoring 9.4 points per contest on 46.5% from the field, 35.8% from deep and 82.5% from the free throw line.

His minutes per game started decreasing immediately after the deal, and when he returned for his second campaign, he wasn’t the same player. Knecht played in only 54 games — 10.2 minutes per game — last season and shot 34.2% from three.

Getting to the Knicks is a fantastic move for Knecht. Hopefully, New York serves as an opportunity for him to win games and get minutes for a team that wants to utilize depth as they mount a title defense.

NBA GMs view Lakers’ Cameron Carr among biggest steals of draft

Another reason the Lakers ultimately moved on from Knecht, when they could have waived players like Bronny James or Jaden Hardy, is because of their selection of Cameron Carr in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

Carr, the 3-and-D wing from Baylor, represents what the Lakers hope will be a more versatile version of Knecht. If their belief in Carr is accurate, then having Knecht on the roster simply didn’t make as much sense.

NBA GMs clearly agreed, as he was selected among several players as one of the steals of the draft in the annual NBA GM Survey.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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