The Los Angeles Lakers haven't had the offseason that fans hoped after an early exit in the postseason. They were able to bolster the roster with the additions of Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart.
Despite those moves, the Lakers still need to find better options around Luka Doncic and LeBron James, especially since it sounds very likely that it could be James' last season in the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers don't have that many assets, but a player who's firmly on the trade block is forward Dalton Knecht. Last June, Los Angeles drafted Knecht with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The organization and fanbase believed they were getting a sharpshooting forward on the wings who could provide a possible impact, but that wasn't the case.
Dalton Knecht Is on the Trade Block for Lakers
As a rookie, he averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers even tried to ship him off to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal that featured Mark Williams coming over to Los Angeles, but that trade ended up getting rescinded after Williams failed his physical.
That put both the Lakers and Knecht in an awkward position, but those are the cards that they were dealt. Los Angeles gave him another opportunity to stand out, and the Tennessee product couldn't take advantage.
This past Summer League was another chance for Knecht to show the team that he can be a reliable member in the rotation, but instead, he struggled. In three games, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Knecht shot a terrible 27.9% from the field and a putrid 23.8% from beyond the arc on 7 3-point attempts per game.
As a 24-year-old, the expectation would be that he could easily produce in the Summer League due to his age, multiple college seasons, and rookie season under his belt, yet that was far from the truth.
Instead, he didn't stand out, which plummeted his trade value. It'll be interesting to see if the Lakers can find a way to package Knecht in a deal to move on from him, cause it appears there isn't a future in Los Angeles for him.