The Los Angeles Lakers added Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, and Jake LaRavia this offseason. While all three veterans should help with LA's depth concerns, they don't necessarily move the needle enough to make the Lakers a title contender. Their disappointing first-round loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves highlighted how far the Lakers were, and they didn't do enough to close the gap.
To make matters worse, the players who they were counting on to take a step forward haven't necessarily done so. Dalton Knecht's Summer League performance demonstrated that he isn't ready to be a consistent part of the rotation heading into his second year. Instead of waiting around for a 24-year-old to miraculously improve and become a rotation-level player, the Lakers need to move on.
Lakers Must Part Ways With Dalton Knecht Before It's Too Late
The Lakers currently can't sign another player despite having a roster spot available. As ESPN reported this week, because the Lakers signed Ayton and LaRavia using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, they are hard-capped at the first apron. This prevents them from signing a 15th player until January 18. That is why they need to cut bait with Knecht to open a roster spot that they can use on a veteran who can actually help them in the 2025-26 season.
This means that the Lakers would need to move Knecht to a team without taking a player back. Fortunately, the former Tennessee star only makes $4 million for next season, making it possible for a team like the Brooklyn Nets, which still has cap space, to take him on. The Lakers don't have much draft capital that they can attach to Knecht to entice the Nets, other than a 2032 second-round pick. If that is all it takes to offload Knecht's salary, however, the Lakers should still pursue it.
With the open roster spot, the Lakers can go after one of the remaining free agents or make a trade that brings back two players while sending only one. Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber all make eight-figure salaries that could net two contributors in return if the Lakers were to attach a first-round pick to their contracts.
Whether GM Rob Pelinka will choose to pursue this strategy or if they still have some hope for Knecht remains to be seen.