Dalton Knecht’s trade request is expected to be approved
With the NBA trade deadline a week away, one name has emerged of trade rumors is second-year Los Angeles Lakers wing Dalton Knecht. Knecht has been mentioned as a candidate for a new home when the deadline comes, and the situation has progressed further in the sense that he is potentially on the move.
Dalton Knecht and his representatives are allegedly already approached before the Lakers’ front office and requested a trade at the deadline, a request that is expected to be granted, according to Offside’s Anthony Irvin.
“I’m hearing from sources close to the Lakers and around the league that Dalton Knecht approached, he and his people approached the Lakers front office, approached Rob Pelinka and asked if they could find him a new home before the trade deadline on February 5th,” Irvin reports. “The Lakers want to include him in a bigger trade package that would bring back an impact type player.”
Irvin also reported that there likely isn’t a scenario where the Lakers simply cut Knecht if a trade doesn’t materialize. Before the start of this season, the team picked up Knecht’s contract option for next season, and they have another team option for the 2027-28 season before he can hit restricted free agency.
The Lakers had already attempted to trade Knecht during his rookie season, but an originally agreed-upon trade with the Charlotte Hornets involving Mark Williams was ultimately nixed after the Lakers’ concerns about Williams’ health. Knecht began his rookie year as a key part of the team’s rotation, but was never able to recapture that spark after the deal fell through.
this season, Knecht was largely out of the rotation except for a few games when the team had injury problems. He has appeared in 36 games this season, including one start, logging just over 12 minutes per game. He is averaging 4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds on 43.7 percent shooting from the field, 31.9 percent from the 3-point line and 68.8 percent from the free throw line.
2026-01-28 21:57:00
