Lakers’ Latest Move Involving Dalton Knecht Turns Heads

During his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, sharpshooting forward Dalton Knecht looked like a player who might have a bright future with the storied franchise, as he didn't lack confidence in the first half of his rookie campaign.

Unfortunately, things have drastically changed for the once-promising forward out of the University of Tennessee, as he has fallen out of the rotation completely and now is headed back down to the G League with the South Bay Lakers.

Lakers Assigne Dalton Knecht to the South Bay Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned guards Bronny James Jr. and Dalton Knecht along with forward Adou Thiero to the South Bay Lakers.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 10, 2026

At this point, it remains uncertain what the future holds for Knecht with the Lakers. Things have headed in the wrong direction for Volunteers product ever since the team tried to trade him to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams ahead of the NBA trade deadline last season.

The Lakers again tried to move him ahead of the trade deadline this year, but had no luck in finding interested parties, as Knecht's value has plummeted.

During his second season with the Lakers, Knecht has played in 47 games, but rarely gets on the floor, as he's seen his minutes drop drastically from his rookie campaign. He was averaging 19.2 minutes per game in 2024-25, but now that has fallen to 10.8 minutes per contest.

JJ Redick Explains Plans for Lakers Rookie Adou Thiero

Dec 1, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Adou Thiero (1) passes the ball against Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As for Bronny James and rookie Adou Thiero, the Lakers have been bringing them up and down throughout the season, as they seem to be prioritizing getting them as much time on the floor as possible, even if it is with South Bay.

Thiero has shown a lot promise when he's gotten minutes on the NBA level. However, it has been anything but consistent for the rookie high-flyer, which head coach JJ Redick touched on after practice on Monday.

“I think with him, he didn’t have a summer," Redick said of Thiero. "Had some medical issues, didn’t get to play, didn’t get to do preseason. So kind of was catching up. We had some injuries, got him some rotation minutes. But then he got hurt again."

Injuries have held Thiero back from having the kind of rookie season that would benefit him and the team, hurting his chances of cracking the rotation despite what he's shown when healthy.

Redick made it clear to the Arkansas product that this season would be a "development year" before the 2025-26 campaign got underway.

“Adou and I talked at the beginning of the year, and really felt that this was, particularly with not knowing when he would come back and be healthy, that this was very likely gonna be a development year, particularly at the beginning, and then to have the re-injury," Redick said of the rookie's first season. "So he needs to play basketball. I think we had a great conversation last week just about the importance of being down there and really just being coached and working on the right habits. I think in four of the last five games (in the G League), he’s been really good. He’s been really good. I think he’s in a good spot to sort of embrace that. As far as it relates to our rotation, I have a hard enough time when we’re healthy getting everyone minutes as it is. But I think our staff, myself, I know I was pushing for it early in the year, definitely want to get him opportunities. Those opportunities are not there right now. That’s just the reality.”

Even though Thiero hasn't seen the floor much this season, that could change in the near future, as he has the skills that fit well with what the team is trying to do in the Luka Doncic era.