The Los Angeles Lakers could soon be bidding goodbye to a former first-round pick.
According to the California Post’s Khobi Price, Dalton Knecht has emerged as a potential cut casualty in Los Angeles, as the 2026-27 NBA season nears.
Price reported that executives around the league believe Knecht is the “odd man out” and the likeliest player to be released by the Lakers as they look to trim their roster from 16 to 15 players on standard contracts.
The former Tennessee Volunteers star Knecht was taken by the Lakers in the first round (17th overall) of the 2024 NBA Draft. He averaged close to 20 minutes per game in his rookie season, but his playing time dropped significantly in 2025-26, when he averaged just 10.2 minutes per outing.
The Lakers appeared to be done with Knecht when they included him in a trade package for the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for big man Mark Williams. That trade was later rescinded.
Los Angeles has a pretty crowded situation on the wings, with Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero and rookie Cameron Carr in the mix.
Knecht’s fate with the Lakers isn’t in his hands, and it’s a dilemma left for team president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka to deal with.
The Lakers also have a club option on Knecht worth $6.45 million that they have to decide whether to exercise.
