New Details Emerge on Lakers’ Failed Dalton Knecht Trade Talks

The Lakers tried to trade Knecht before they ultimately decided to waive him before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Nov 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) shoots during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Lakers are close to a week into the season and have started it off on the right foot. 

Los Angeles sits at 3-0, but before their first regular-season game, the Lakers needed to trim their roster down from 16 to 15 players on standard contracts. 

The Lakers had plenty of options to move on; however, the most obvious choice was to let go of their former first-round pick, Dalton Knecht. 

Lakers Rejected Bucks’ Trade Demand Before Waiving Dalton Knecht

Knecht has been viewed as the odd man out and ultimately was after the Lakers waived him. However, before the Lakers waived him, NBA insider Brett Siegel noted that they were unwilling to meet the Bucks' price for Knecht. 

Siegel noted that the Lakers were unwilling to throw in two second-round picks alongside Knecht for center Jericho Sims.

"The Bucks had briefly talked through what Los Angeles would want but were unwilling to trade center Jericho Sims straight up for Knecht and wanted multiple second-round picks or a pick swap. This was a price the Lakers were unwilling to meet. Maybe going across the country and being back on the East Coast will be beneficial for Knecht to reinvent himself," Siegel wrote.

The Lakers and Bucks discussed a Knecht-for-Sims trade before roster cuts last Monday. However, the Lakers felt that was too much to give up for a player like Sims. 

While Sims is the prototypical player who thrives with Luka Doncic feeding him the ball, the cons outweigh the pros. 

Dalton Knecht Gets Chance to Reinvent Himself After Lakers Departure

The last season and a half have been less than ideal for Knecht in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old has struggled to find consistent minutes with the Lakers and fell out of the rotation for most of the 2025-26 season. 

Things have not been the same for Knecht since the rescinded trade in February 2025. The Lakers planned to send out Knecht, Cam Reddish and a 2030 pick swap to Charlotte in exchange for center Mark Williams.

The trade was contingent on both players passing their physicals, and the Lakers failed Williams due to medical concerns. 

Prior to the trade, Knecht averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 35.8% from deep. 

The Lakers waived Knecht on Oct. 19. Four days later, Knecht signed a two-way contract with the New York Knicks. 

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