The Los Angeles Lakers already agreed to trade Dalton Knecht once, but a sequel might not be happening just yet.
The Lakers intend to hang onto their second-year sharpshooter Knecht, Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported on Thursday. Amico also notes that Knecht will be suiting up for the Lakers’ Summer League squad this year and is excited about the opportunity.
Knecht, 24, had some moments as a rookie last season, averaging 9.1 points per game on 46/37/76 shooting splits. But on a win-now Lakers roster, Knecht was not able to get the regular minutes necessary for his development and was inconsistent throughout the year as a result.
Last February, the Lakers agreed to trade Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a deal for seven-foot big man Mark Williams. But the Lakers ultimately walked away from that deal due to concerns about Williams’ physical, resulting in Knecht doing a 180 back to Los Angeles.
Knecht is still probably the single best and most realistic asset on the Lakers’ roster. Austin Reaves appears to be off the table in trade talks, Rui Hachimura is 27 years old with limited upside, and the Lakers only have one future first-round pick to trade away beyond that (in either 2031 or 2032).
But working in Knecht’s favor is that the Lakers recently addressed their center position by signing a former No. 1 overall pick to a multi-year deal. While Knecht probably isn’t truly “safe” in a Lakers organization that is short on patience, he may have at least bought himself a little bit more time in L.A. for the time being.
