The LA Lakers are reportedly searching for rotational upgrades and have made forward Dalton Knecht available in trade talks.
LA Lakers to move Dalton Knecht
Knecht, who is on a four-year, $18 million rookie-scale contract per Spotrac, is averaging 4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on 43.7% shooting (31.9% on 3-pointers) in his second season with the Lakers. However, as per Forbes' Evan Sidery on Friday, the second-year wing has generated "little to no trade interest" from opposition teams.
Earlier this week, Lakers insider Jovan Buha claimed that the team will trade Knecht this season. The 6-foot-6 forward was almost dealt at the trade deadline last season in exchange for then-Charlotte Hornets Mark Williams. The deal was stalled because of health concerns regarding Williams, who is now with the Phoenix Suns.
"I think he's on his way out, whether it's at this deadline or over the summer," Buha said on Tuesday's episode of "Buha's Block." "I think eventually he'll be traded somewhere."
The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He impressed in his rookie campaign, averaging 9.1 points per game and 2.8 rpg on 46.1% shooting, including 37.6% from 3-point range.
Lakers insider makes big claim on Dalton Knecht
In his podcast episode on Tuesday, LA Lakers insider Jovan Buha claims that Dalton Knecht will be traded in the coming future. Knecht's issues in managing consistency have reduced his presence in Lakers coach JJ Redick's rotation policy this season.
Buha believed that given Knecht's decreased trade value, LA could add him as part of bigger trades.
"I don't know specifically in the context of what the deal will be, but I think it'll likely be as part of a larger trade where he's more of a throw-in as sort of a sweetener," Buha said. "There was a point where you could have Dalton and a first-round pick, and that was really valuable.
"That point has long passed, and he is now viewed as a negative asset who, I think, is gonna have to work hard to turn around the trajectory of his career because right now, it is headed in a really bad direction."
Several reports indicate that the Lakers may target either a two-way wing or a defensive-minded big man at the trade deadline. While the LA Lakers have been amazing on the offensive end, the teams consistently ranked in the bottom 10 in defensive ratings this season.