The Los Angeles Lakers hoped to have one of the steals of the 2024 NBA Draft, and, for a while, it seemed like that was the case.
Unfortunately, Dalton Knecht's contributions faded as the year went by. The playing time went down, the shots didn't fall, and the narrative shifted. Now, the clock is ticking on him, and the Lakers must make a decision.
Lakers Need to Make Dalton Knecht Decision
As pointed out by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, the Lakers have until Oct. 31 to decide whether they want to pick up Knecht's option for the 2026-27 season. He will still be under contract for the upcoming campaign, but the team may not want to bring him back for the third year of his four-year rookie deal.
Of course, it's hard to believe the Lakers will throw the towel with him so quickly. While he didn't look good in the Summer League, they might be able to get something in return for his services by placing him on the trade block.
Declining his player option would all but kill any trade value, as all teams could simply make a run at him as a free agent. Instead, they would be wise to explore his trade market, just like they did at last season's deadline.
The Lakers agreed to trade the Tennessee product to the Charlotte Hornets in the failed Mark Williams trade, and having to get him back was as awkward as it was unproductive. Clearly, something had been broken, and it's hard to make amends and win back trust after such a bizarre situation.
Knecht isn't a necessary commodity anymore because of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and he should only be a rotational player at this point in his career. Then again, that doesn't mean he can't thrive somewhere else, and he's going to be a valuable trade chip.
He averaged 9.1 points on 46/37/76 shooting splits as a rookie, and he might just need a change of scenery to get back on track.