Lakers should swap Dalton Knecht for $42 million wing, 40.6% shooter to help Luka, LeBron

Adding serviceable depth pieces next to LeBron James and Luka Dončić has been the name of the game for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.

The storied franchise successfully brought in two impactful role players in 2022 Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Smart, and former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Deandre Ayton, on team-friendly contracts. Even still, more work is left to be done if the Lakers want to compete with the Western Conference's top-tier talent.

For Los Angeles to enter the upper echelon of teams in the West, it could be time for the organization's general manager Rob Pelinka to pull the plug on the Dalton Knecht experiment. Specifically, it might be in Pelinka's best interests to contact the Phoenix Suns in an effort to negotiate a deal centered around their reliable two-way wing, Royce O'Neale.

If a transaction of this nature eventually comes to fruition, it's likely that Knecht would have to be packaged with an expiring contract, like Maxi Kleber's $11 million salary, to push this deal across the finish line.

The 24-year-old Knecht profiled as the perfect wing option to help the Lakers compete in the present after he was selected by the team with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but after Pelinka already attempted to trade the young score-first forward this past season, their fractured relationship may be beyond repair.

By prospectively acquiring the 32-year-old O'Neale from Phoenix, the Lakers would be landing a perfect complementary piece to share the floor alongside both Dončić and James.

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In 75 appearances and 22 starts with the Suns in 2024-25, the 6-foot-4 forward contributed a career-high 9.1 points along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists while knocking down 40.6% of his 5.9 three-point attempts.

O'Neale's proven efficiency on high-volume shooting from distance should make him a desired trade target, and it's plausible to believe that the Suns would accept a deal for Knecht to continue their youth movement after the franchise dealt Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets earlier this summer.

The 8-year veteran with plenty of postseason experience could serve as a valuable piece of the Lakers' rotation in 2025-26, especially as a consistent catch-and-shoot threat and competitive defender.

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