Lakers’ $18 Million Wing Emerges as Roster Cut Candidate

The Los Angeles Lakers still have one last roster puzzle to solve before training camp opens, and it could cost a young wing his job. The team currently lists 16 players under contract, leaving it one short of what it views as a full complement.

Front office officials have already completed most of their summer business, so the remaining options are a trade or an outright cut.

Lakers Roundtable writer Carlos Yakimowich reported that several names have surfaced as possible casualties.

“Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy and Bronny James have been mentioned as possible candidates,” Yakimowich wrote. “However, Knecht appears to be the player most likely to lose his roster spot.”

Knecht is heading into his third NBA season. He still shows flashes of the shooting stroke that made him a first-round pick, yet he has not locked down a consistent role.

Bronny James is also on a standard contract and remains a developmental piece. His smaller salary, however, gives the Lakers more flexibility if they decide to keep him and shop Knecht instead.

Either path remains possible. James’ deal is simply cheaper than Knecht’s $4.2 million salary.

This summer, Knecht was frequently mentioned as a trade chip, usually packaged with other players rather than moved alone. Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia drew similar speculation, but both could still be on the roster when the season starts.

The Lakers have also added depth at forward. Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams all arrived in recent weeks and figure to claim the minutes Knecht once hoped to occupy.

“That leaves Knecht without an obvious role,” Yakimowich added. “He would need to rediscover his shooting while showing significant defensive improvement to earn minutes on a roster attempting to contend around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.”

Knecht possesses size and a shooting background that once made him attractive. Those traits have not yet translated into the two-way consistency a contending team needs right now.

Los Angeles is built to win immediately around Doncic and Reaves. Patience for a still-developing wing is in short supply.

Knecht’s modest contract once made him easy to include in deals. Tight luxury-tax calculations have so far prevented any clean swap from materializing.

The Lakers could still try to extract a future second-round pick or two. Finding a buyer at this late stage of the offseason will not be simple.

“The Lakers should still attempt to trade Knecht before releasing him,” Yakimowich wrote. “Although his value has declined, his size, shooting background and status as a former first-round pick could appeal to a rebuilding team willing to take a chance on his development.”

A February trade that would have sent Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams collapsed after Williams failed a physical. That near-miss now looks like the last realistic window.

If no deal appears in the coming days, the Lakers are expected to waive Knecht and open a roster spot. The decision would close a brief chapter for a player who arrived with promise but never quite found his footing in the current rotation.