The Las Vegas portion of the 2025 NBA Summer League has been a back-and-forth experience for the Los Angeles Lakers. Following a convincing 13-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, the Lakers fell back down to earth on Monday with an uninspiring 67-58 loss to the L.A. Clippers, dropping their Las Vegas record to 1-2.
As is the case with any sub-60-point performance, the majority of the Lakers' roster struggled to put the ball in the basket Monday night. At the center of Los Angeles' shooting struggles was none other than Dalton Knecht, who finished with just eight points while going 3-of-15 (20.0%) from the floor and 1-of-8 (12.5%) from the three-point line in 29 minutes of work.
With how his Summer League has been going, it's safe to say that Knecht's future with the Lakers is no longer as secure as it once was.
Lakers Wing Dalton Knecht Must Brace for 2025 Departure
Between the California and Las Vegas sides of the Summer League, Knecht has been having a performance to forget. The ex-Tennessee Volunteer entered the offseason in desperate need of a strong showing after a disappointing end to his rookie season, and so far, he's struggled to accomplish that goal.
In five games to begin the summer, Knecht is averaging 12.4 points while shooting 33.3% from the floor and 25.0% from deep, adding 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game along the way. He's finished with a field-goal percentage of 37.5% or worse in four of those contests, with his performance on Monday being his least accurate to date.
If things don't change, it's going to be hard to justify Knecht being a long-term fixture in head coach JJ Redick's plans. The Fargo, ND native clearly fell out of Redick's favor when he was a part of the failed Mark Williams trade with the Charlotte Hornets, and Knecht's grim future became even more apparent when he was limited to three minutes and 40 seconds of playing time in two playoff appearances.
Although he's still young (24) and was only drafted in the first round last year, the Lakers may have already seen enough of Knecht to be ready to move on. They already attempted to trade the ex-2024 17th overall pick in February, and general manager Rob Pelinka might not hesitate to pull the trigger again if the return is right.
The Lakers won't be in action again until Thursday's showdown with the Boston Celtics, giving Knecht a couple of days to get back on track. Otherwise, he might not survive the upcoming season with the franchise, let alone the rest of the 2025 calendar year in L.A.