Originally published by LakersNation.com
With training camp officially getting started and the regular season just weeks away, the Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make. The team currently has 16 players under guaranteed contracts and must get down to 15 before the start of the season, which means someone will either need to be traded or released.
There are a handful of names that would seem to be on that bubble fighting for the final roster spot, but in the eyes of executives around the NBA, former first-round pick Dalton Knecht seems to be the most likely to be left out, via Khobi Price of the California Post:
Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15.
Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy and Bronny James have been the names brought up most in terms of players who could be squeezed out when it comes to making that final cut. And there is always the possibility that a trade could materialize prior to the start of the season, but Knecht and Vanderbilt in particular have been in rumors all offseason with nothing coming to fruition so it would seem that a cut at the end of the preseason is most likely.
When he first joined the league, it looked like the Lakers had found a gem in the middle of the draft where they selected Knecht with the 17th overall pick in 2024. He had some huge games early on in his rookie season, showing that he is more than capable of getting buckets at the NBA level. However, everything changed when he returned to the Lakers following the trade of him to the Charlotte Hornets that the team backed out of. Knecht simply hasn’t been nearly as effective ever since and he had a significantly smaller role in his second season with the team.
There is still an entire preseason to go through and Knecht could very easily shine and play his way into a rotation spot as there are plenty of minutes available. But there is no doubt that he is on that bubble and could be looking for a new basketball home soon.
JJ Redick: Dalton Knecht has ‘been a pro’ in training camp so far
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been happy with what he’s seen from Knecht so far in training camp, noting how his approach to putting in the work has never changed since he entered the league.
“He’s been a pro,” Redick said. “He’s been in the gym, like he has since Day 1, has worked his butt off all offseason. And he’s had a good three days of practice. So I don’t think his approach changes. I know he’s hungry to play and hungry to earn a spot in the rotation.”
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With training camp officially getting started and the regular season just weeks away, the Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make. The team currently has 16 players under guaranteed contracts and must get down to 15 before the start of the season, which means someone will either need to be traded or released.
There are a handful of names that would seem to be on that bubble fighting for the final roster spot, but in the eyes of executives around the NBA, former first-round pick Dalton Knecht seems to be the most likely to be left out, via Khobi Price of the California Post:
Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15.
Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy and Bronny James have been the names brought up most in terms of players who could be squeezed out when it comes to making that final cut. And there is always the possibility that a trade could materialize prior to the start of the season, but Knecht and Vanderbilt in particular have been in rumors all offseason with nothing coming to fruition so it would seem that a cut at the end of the preseason is most likely.
When he first joined the league, it looked like the Lakers had found a gem in the middle of the draft where they selected Knecht with the 17th overall pick in 2024. He had some huge games early on in his rookie season, showing that he is more than capable of getting buckets at the NBA level. However, everything changed when he returned to the Lakers following the trade of him to the Charlotte Hornets that the team backed out of. Knecht simply hasn’t been nearly as effective ever since and he had a significantly smaller role in his second season with the team.
There is still an entire preseason to go through and Knecht could very easily shine and play his way into a rotation spot as there are plenty of minutes available. But there is no doubt that he is on that bubble and could be looking for a new basketball home soon.
JJ Redick: Dalton Knecht has ‘been a pro’ in training camp so far
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been happy with what he’s seen from Knecht so far in training camp, noting how his approach to putting in the work has never changed since he entered the league.
“He’s been a pro,” Redick said. “He’s been in the gym, like he has since Day 1, has worked his butt off all offseason. And he’s had a good three days of practice. So I don’t think his approach changes. I know he’s hungry to play and hungry to earn a spot in the rotation.”
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
