Lakers Receive Unfortunate Trade Update on Dalton Knecht

Heading into this season, it was pretty clear that the Los Angeles Lakers had given up on Dalton Knecht. The 2024 first-round pick doesn't fit into their long-term plans.

Los Angeles has already tried to get rid of him once, shipping him to Charlotte as part of the Mark Williams trade. Unfortunately, that trade was rescinded, and it signaled the beginning of the end for Knecht in LA.

The Lakers have been hoping that they can move him this season instead. Unfortunately for them, it looks like they have tanked his value.

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The Lakers Might Have To Attach An Asset To Dump Dalton Knecht

According to a report from Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Lakers might have to attach a draft pick to Knecht in order to get rid of him.

"But scouts and executives, almost unanimously, felt that the Lakers wouldn’t be able to recoup comparable value to the No. 17 pick they used when they selected Knecht. Some felt the team might be able to get its hands on multiple second-round picks, while the most critical felt Knecht would return just a lone second."

The Lakers have no shot of getting a first-round pick in return for Knecht, which would be the ideal return in their eyes. They haven't played him enough for other teams to part ways with an asset that is highly valued to get him.

"But after a rough preseason debut where he shot 1 of 12, scouts left Palm Desert as pessimistic as ever, one even calling Knecht a “negative asset,” meaning the Lakers would need to attach pieces to incentivize a team in a trade."

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The Lakers Likely Won't Have Knecht as Part of Their Rotation This Year

Despite the fact that the Lakers will need to play Knecht more if they want to increase their chances of getting an acceptable return in any trade involving him, that is increasingly unlikely.

Unless there are severe injuries to the roster, Knecht is likely going to be riding the pine quite a bit this season. He doesn't figure to be part of the rotation this season.

As a rookie last year, Knecht averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

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