Although the Los Angeles Lakers have made a few moves to begin the offseason (acquiring Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton), they could use a few of their primary trade bait assets to add another valuable piece to their adjusted roster.
ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin believes the franchise could cut ties with their 2024 first-round pick after a mediocre rookie season.
“As trade assets go, the Lakers still have Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber’s expiring contracts,” ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin wrote Wednesday.
“They can still trade their own first-round pick in either 2031 or 2032. Dalton Knecht’s name has come up in plenty of trade discussions this summer after he was sent out in that infamously rescinded Mark Williams deal last season.”
Knecht was labeled the steal of the 2024 NBA draft. Los Angeles selected the polished 6-foot-6 guard with the No. 17 overall pick following his standout season at Tennessee.
Knecht endured an up-and-down campaign with the Lake Show in Year 1. Although the 24-year-old pro exhibited potential as an off-ball scorer (he netted 20+ points on seven occasions), he didn’t perform well enough on the defensive end to earn consistent minutes under JJ Redick from start to finish.
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Knecht, who the Lakers nearly traded to the Charlotte Hornets in early February to help them replace Anthony Davis’ frontcourt production, averaged 9.1 points per game on 46.1% field goal shooting and 37.6% three-point shooting.
Irwin noted that Los Angeles could dangle Knecht in trade packages for assets such as Cam Whitmore, Andrew Wiggins, and Robert Williams.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers move on from their key developmental guard this summer.
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