Time is running out for Dalton Knecht. The Lakers have 16 players on standard contracts, one more than the maximum allowed, and must adjust their roster before Monday. The shooting guard is the chosen one to leave. According to Brett Siegel at ClutchPoints, the Los Angeles franchise has spoken with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Chicago Bulls, and the Utah Jazz, among other teams, to find him a destination. "It has become clear that Knecht's future is not with the Lakers," the journalist summarized.
Los Angeles's preference is to trade him rather than cut him, and the reason is financial. In October 2025, the Lakers exercised the team option on the third year of his rookie contract, so his salary of approximately $4.2 million for this season is guaranteed. If they cut him, they will still have to pay him, and he will also take up space in their salary cap without playing.
Milwaukee, the Most Advanced Option
The most concrete conversation is with the Bucks. Jake Fischer reported in The Stein Line that both teams have studied a deal that would send Knecht and a second-round pick to Milwaukee in exchange for center Jericho Sims. The sources consulted by Fischer, however, were pessimistic about the trade being completed, and the journalist does not rule out that the Lakers may end up "forced" to cut him.
From a basketball standpoint, the fit in Milwaukee makes sense. The Bucks are short-handed at the position, with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ousmane Dieng, and rookie Nate Ament as their only alternatives, and they need shooters around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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From Promise to Surplus
Knecht's fall has been swift. He arrived in 2024 as a first-round pick from Tennessee, and in his rookie season he was even traded to Charlotte for Mark Williams, a deal that was voided when the center failed his medical examination. Last season, he lost his spot in the rotation: he averaged 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in just 10 minutes per game, and his net rating (-8.5) was the worst among Lakers players with at least 30 games played. This summer, moreover, the team bolstered the perimeter with Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy, and Matisse Thybulle, which left him even further from playing time.