The Lakers waived Dalton Knecht on Monday, and the team confirmed it in a press release. Shams Charania of ESPN reported the move first. Los Angeles came into the day with 16 players on standard guaranteed contracts, and Hoops Rumors noted that the release gets the club to the 15-man limit for the regular season. Knecht was the 17th overall pick in 2024.
Yahoo Sports' Ryan Young reported that the Lakers acted after failing to find a trade partner. That detail appears in Yahoo's headline, and we have nothing in the other feed summaries that confirms or expands on it. Another Yahoo piece says Bronny James stays on the roster, which suggests the choice came down to those two. The reporting we have doesn't say what the Lakers weighed, so we won't guess. Silver Screen and Roll says head coach JJ Redick spoke about Knecht's situation before Friday's preseason finale and described what had changed. The feed summary cuts off before his comments, so we can't tell you what he said. Silver Screen and Roll also calls this a move many had speculated about all preseason. Yahoo says the release "felt inevitable." CBS Sports' Cameron Salerno uses it to look at the 2024 draft class, noting that four lottery picks have already been traded.
Our numbers show why his role had shrunk. Knecht averaged 9.1 points in 78 games in 2024-25, then dropped to 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes over 54 games in 2025-26. He started once. He shot 45.5% from the field and 34.2% from three, hitting 0.7 of 2.1 attempts per game. He made 38 of 111 threes on the year. Those are efficient numbers for a player on the floor that little. Still, minutes at that level are hard to justify against a roster squeeze.
The Lakers' preseason results gave little help either way. They finished 2-3 in the games we have, including a 121-106 home loss to Denver on Friday, Oct. 16. Before that came a 101-89 home loss to Golden State on Oct. 13. They beat Sacramento 114-110 on Oct. 8. Over their last six finished games they have scored 107.3 points a game and allowed 112.3, and they carry a two-game losing streak into the opener.
Wed, Oct 21, 10:00 PM ET
The Lakers host Golden State on Wednesday, Oct. 21, without Knecht. As a waived player he will go through the waiver process. None of the reporting we have says where he might land or when a decision comes.
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