Lakers' $7M historic 3-and-D guard not going to be waived over Dalton Knecht, says team insider

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most interesting teams to watch this summer as they continue to reconstruct their roster. The Lakers moved on from three of their five starters from last season, marking the beginning of a new era in Los Angeles.

However, all of those moves have created some potential roster drama if the Lakers cannot complete another trade. Los Angeles currently has one more player than the standard regular-season roster limit, meaning the team may eventually have to waive someone.

“There are, however, obvious holes. With 16 roster spots, the Lakers would need to get rid of at least one player, though they can carry as many as 20 through training camp in October," Heavy.com's Sean Deveney wrote.

There are several names who could potentially be on the chopping block, with younger players in the organization appearing to be the most likely candidates. Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy have all been mentioned as possibilities.

“Clearly, the Lakers need to dump someone, and I think it's going to be one of three players," Lakers insider Jovan Buha said. "It's going to either be Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy, or Bronny James."

Buha later appeared on his talk show again and provided more insight into which player could be the odd man out. He believes James is more likely to remain on the roster because of his potential role compared to the other options.

“I guess if [Collin] Sexton gets injured, there's a clear pathway for Bronny or Hardy to replace Sexton as a placeholder for the time being,” Buha stated.

Unfortunately for Knecht, it appears he could be the odd man out if the Lakers need to clear a roster spot. There could be situations where James provides more value in certain minutes than Knecht, which could ultimately work against the former first-round pick.

James is currently entering the third year of his $7 million rookie contract. He appears to have an opportunity to earn meaningful minutes with Los Angeles this season if he has made significant improvements to his game during the offseason.

For now, James appears to be in a solid position to remain on the Lakers' roster, while Knecht could face a much more uncertain future if Los Angeles needs to make a move.

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