The Los Angeles Lakers have some question marks heading into the season, but right now, the clearest one might be the status of Dalton Knecht. The former first-round pick was an exciting player for LA during his first few months in the NBA.
After that, the Lakers have seemingly not needed much from him. California Post’s Khobi Price has reported that he will be the odd man out if a trade isn’t made.
“Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15,” Price wrote.
The good thing for Knecht is that LA is going to try to make a trade work so they don’t have to cut anyone. Lakers insider Jovan Buha believes the Lakers will make a consolidation trade involving Knecht.
“My understanding is a consolidation trade. Obviously, it would be two-for-one, three-for-one, or three-for-two is a little more complicated," Buha said. "So I think the most straightforward one would be two-for-one…And depending on the configuration of the trade, it could be a version of two of the back-end guys, let's say Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, for a backup center."
LA has a desire to get another big man in a trade. NBA writer Jake Weinbach believes the Lakers can trade Jaden Hardy and Knecht to the Chicago Bulls for Jalen Smith.
“A trade idea between the Lakers and Bulls: Lakers: Jalen Smith. Bulls: Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, 2032 second-round pick (via WAS), 2033 second-round pick (via LAL). The Lakers should be interested in acquiring another rotational big man to complete the opening night roster,” Weinbach posted.
This deal would give the Lakers exactly what they want, as they would get a big man in return while trading two players to put the roster at 15. Smith is a nice stretch big who can play the power forward or center position.
Smith is currently on a $27 million contract with Chicago. The Lakers need to make a move in order to avoid cutting someone, and this is the perfect opportunity. For Knecht and Hardy, they would finally be able to start fresh and look to make an impact.
