Lakers Would Be Fully Vindicated to Finally Give Up on Dalton Knecht

Dalton Knecht was supposed to be a long-term piece for the Los Angeles Lakers — a floor-spacer who could grow into a reliable rotation player. Instead, his second NBA season has only reinforced a harsh truth: the experiment is trending toward failure.

Knecht is averaging fewer minutes per game than he did as a rookie. His three-point percentage is down, his shot volume has dipped, and several underlying metrics have gone in the wrong direction. For a player whose primary appeal is shooting, that regression is alarming.

At some point, potential has to turn into production. For Knecht, that moment may have already passed.

📉 A Draft Pick That Isn’t Aging Well

Looking back at the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers have reason for regret. Several players selected shortly after Knecht are already carving out more impactful roles with their respective teams. Adding salt to the wound is the success of Mark Williams in Phoenix — a reminder of a trade Los Angeles once pursued and ultimately walked away from.

After a promising early stretch in purple and gold, Knecht has gone from “intriguing upside play” to a player frequently buried on the depth chart. That trajectory alone suggests his future in Los Angeles is shaky at best.

🚨 Defense Remains the Deal-Breaker

If Knecht were showing growth defensively, the Lakers might be willing to stay patient. Instead, that’s been his biggest red flag.

• Defensive rating near 119 per 100 possessions
• Worse than his rookie mark, which hovered around 118
• No meaningful progress in an area the Lakers desperately need help

To make matters worse, Knecht is now shooting below league average from three, undercutting the one skill that justified his minutes in the first place.

🔄 Trade Value Still Matters

Ironically, Knecht’s most important role for the Lakers may no longer be on the court.

Around the league, his value hasn’t completely cratered. Some front offices still see him as a young shooter with upside — a perception the Lakers should be eager to exploit. High-profile voices like Bill Simmons have even floated Knecht as a centerpiece in ambitious trade ideas.

On his podcast, Simmons suggested a package of Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, and a 2031 Lakers first-round pick in a deal for Herb Jones.

“Call it in,” Simmons joked.

While that specific trade is unlikely, the idea behind it matters. Knecht is still viewed as a legitimate sweetener in bigger deals — and that’s exactly how the Lakers should treat him.

🏆 Why the Lakers Can’t Hesitate

The Lakers aren’t rebuilding. They’re chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder and other elite contenders right now. Keeping a regressing second-year shooter simply because he was a recent first-round pick would be a mistake.

If a legitimate upgrade becomes available after December 15, Los Angeles cannot afford sentimentality. Moving Knecht wouldn’t be an admission of failure — it would be a necessary correction.

Sometimes, the smartest move a franchise can make is knowing when to cut its losses.

For the Lakers, that time with Dalton Knecht may already be here.