Lakers Rookie Dalton Knecht Just Experienced the Business Side of the NBA

The NBA trade deadline is always unpredictable, but few rookies have experienced it like Dalton Knecht. One moment, he was packing his bags for Charlotte, set to begin a new chapter with the Hornets. The next? He was back in Los Angeles, trying to process one of the strangest trade reversals in recent memory.

Last week, the Lakers sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, and multiple draft picks to Charlotte in exchange for 7-foot-2 center Mark Williams. The move was meant to shore up the Lakers’ frontcourt and better complement Luka Dončić’s playstyle. But then, things took a turn. Williams failed his physical, forcing the Lakers to rescind the deal—a rare occurrence in NBA trades.

Knecht was already in Charlotte meeting the team, then traveled to Detroit for what was supposed to be his Hornets debut. Instead, before he could even step on the court, he found out the trade had been voided. Just like that, he was a Laker again.

Processing the Whiplash

For a rookie who had already been making an impact in his first NBA season, the situation was a gut punch. Knecht, the No. 17 overall pick out of Tennessee, had been seen as part of the Lakers’ future. And after proving himself through the first half of the season, getting shipped out and then abruptly brought back created an awkward, almost surreal, situation.

"It was hard. I got drafted here, so L.A. means a lot," Knecht told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. "I go to Charlotte in the morning with one of my guys, get introduced, start meeting all those people, then fly out to Detroit to what was called my ‘debut game’—to then, now I’m flying back to [Los Angeles]."

The reality of NBA business hit him fast. After sitting out Monday to process everything, he was back on the court Wednesday against Utah, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes in a 131-119 loss to the Jazz.