JJ Redick Doesn’t Sugarcoat Dalton Knecht’s Standing With Lakers

With the regular season kicking off next week for the Los Angeles Lakers, they still need to cut their roster down to 15 players and Dalton Knecht appears to be on the outside looking in. Ever since the rescinded Mark Williams trade, Knecht has not played like the same confident shooter that the Lakers drafted in the first round.

Head coach JJ Redick has given Knecht opportunities in the rotation since that rescinded trade, but it just hasn’t worked out. After of Friday’s preseason finale, Redick offered his perspective on what he thinks changed for Knecht since his rookie season and did not sugarcoat things.

“I think the biggest thing is the team changed. The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years,” he said. “I think, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the injuries we had. I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”

Redick was also asked about where Knecht’s confidence is at and deferred to the player.

“You’d have to ask him that. I’m not a great psychologist, although sometimes with my children I have to be,” Redick continued. “But with players, they’re all enigmas to me. All of them. So you’ll have to ask him that.”

The writing was on the wall for Knecht during the Lakers’ preseason game in Las Vegas, when Knecht was pulled off the floor in the fourth quarter. In six minutes, Knecht attempted two shots and turned it over two times. Those turnovers were back-to-back, resulting in him exiting the game and putting his future in L.A. into question.

Obviously, it appears that there needs to be a change of scenery and hopefully Knecht receives that wish before the start of the season.

However, it remains to be seen where his next opportunity will be as the Lakers have been trying to trade him for over a year now and haven’t been able to find any takers. If no deal comes to fruition, then the Lakers would likely just waive Knecht to get their roster down to 15 players.

Dalton Knecht & Jericho Sims swap discussed with Bucks

As the Lakers navigate their roster crunch, they are seemingly evaluating all their options. Ideally, general manager Rob Pelinka would like to find a consolidation trade so they do not have dead money on their books.

In recent weeks, the Lakers discussed a trade surrounding Knecht and Milwaukee Bucks backup center Jericho Sims. The backup center position is a need for the Lakers so a deal like that would make sense, although it doesn’t appear the sides have made any progress.