Draymond Green Takes Wild Shot at Lakers Guard

Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA: Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) and forward Draymond Green (23) box out Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green took a wild shot at a young Los Angeles Lakers guard in the midst of a preseason clash Sunday.

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While new Lakers starting center Deandre Ayton was taking free throws, Green was getting into it with second-year Los Angeles shooting guard Dalton Knecht.

The 10-time All-Defensive Teamer called out Knecht for the most embarrassing element of his pro resume so far.

Draymond Green talking to Dalton Knecht:
"Don’t talk shit to me, you got traded and got traded back” pic.twitter.com/ZLArvLFgoT

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 13, 2025

"Don’t talk s--- to me, you got traded and got traded back," Green told Knecht during the game's TV broadcast, as captured by NBA connoisseur/possible chicken MrBuckBuck.

Green isn't wrong.

Knecht, a 6-foot-6 All-American First Team swingman out of Tennessee, fell to Los Angeles with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. During the first half or so of the season, he was looking like a steal, a sharpshooting off-ball cutter with some serious scoring juice.

But everything was thrown into sharp relief when the Lakers traded him and a first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for rim-rolling center Mark Williams, whom Los Angeles had hoped to install as its long-term Anthony Davis replacement alongside then-new trade acquisition Luka Doncic.

Williams, however, apparently failed his physical, and the deal was rescinded by the Lakers. Charlotte wouldn't be deterred, ultimately flipping the 7-foot-1 Duke product to the Phoenix Suns during the 2025 NBA Draft, in exchange for a whopping two first-round draft picks and guard Vasilije Micic. Micic was promptly waived, and now plays for Israeli squad Hapoel Tel Aviv.

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Knecht's game fell off significantly after he rejoined the Lakers.

In his 30 games after returning, Knecht averaged 8.5 points on .456/.408/.630 shooting splits. That encouraging 40.8 percent 3-point rate arrived on 4.2 triple tries.

Knecht's Middling Playoff Role

The most telling sign for how little trust head coach JJ Redick had in Knecht was evinced in his playoff role with Los Angeles this past spring: he didn't have one. Knecht appeared in just two games, averaging two mop-up minutes in those bouts.

Can he crack LA's lineup in a meaningful way this season, with a reconfigured roster that now has been built to accommodate the Doncic addition even more? He may face an uphill battle.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.