NBA GM Defends Lakers' Dalton Knecht Amid Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 3:22 PM ET

The NBA's summer leagues have quickly come and gone, and if there has ever been a truism about the showcase for rookies and other league longshots, it is this: Let what happens in summer league stay in summer league. For Lakers second-year player Dalton Knecht, that's certainly the hope.

After struggling in the California Classic in San Francisco to start July, Knecht and the Lakers went to Las Vegas and there, the former No. 17 overall pick failed to turn around his fortunes. Knecht averaged 10.3 points in three games, shooting 27.9% from the field and 23.8% from the 3-point line.

That showing, combined with a streaky rookie year (9.1 points, 46.1% shooting, 37.6% 3-point shooting) has left Knecht's future with the Lakers in some question. In fact, Jovan Buha of The Athletic noted this week that Knecht's stock has plummeted.

Lakers Losing Value on Dalton Knecht?

Remember, many considered Knecht to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he fell all the way to the Lakers at No. 17, primarily on concerns about his age (he turned 24 in April) and defense. When the Lakers were set to trade Knecht in a package for Mark Williams of the Hornets last February, along with a future first-round pick, it was seen as the team giving up two first-rounders for Williams.

But Buha said in his podcast that Knecht would not eb considered a first-rounder anymore.

"Summer League has not helped Knecht's stock, and I don't think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation," he said. "That was what I heard in Vegas from talking to multiple people, non-Lakers people, just gauging what would you give for Dalton Knecht? Or if the Lakers are putting Dalton Knecht in a trade, what is he worth? And the feedback I got was, no longer worth a first-round valuation."

Dalton Knecht 'Can Shoot, He Has Value'

But asked about Knecht's value, one Eastern Conference GM said that the summer did not change anything.

"He is a shooter, and he has shown he can shoot," the GM said. "He needs to show he can do something else to get and stay on the floor, for sure. But his value has not gone anywhere, not based on a few summer games. Once you're drafted, it does not matter, no one is thinking of you as, 'You're a first-round pick, you're not a first-round pick.' It's what you can do to help us win.

"Knecht can shoot, so that's his value. He rebounds his position. If he can be a better passer, and not be a big minus defensively, he is going to have a nice NBA career."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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