Dalton Knecht Leaves Los Angeles After Concerning Behavior At NBA Summer League

Dalton Knecht turned a lot of heads this Summer League. Unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. Following his breakout rookie season, everyone expected the second-year forward to dominate against the more inexperienced players. But he never found his rhythm, and his confidence looked diminished. “Something’s going on with that kid’s confidence. He should have balled out.” Media veteran Ryan Ward stated, highlighting Knecht’s concerning behavior.

Surprisingly, amid the escalating doubts, Dalton seems unbothered by the noise. In fact, he is not even in Los Angeles anymore. Revealing his whereabouts in his latest IG story, the Lakers youngster posted a picture of a beach in Kauai, Hawaii. Looks like the forward is on a much-needed break following his struggles in the Summer League.

Maybe this Hawaii trip will help Knecht regain his focus and form for the regular season. In his first two California Classic games, he looked overwhelmed, shooting 5 of 20 from the field and missing all nine of his three-point attempts. Many thought it was just nerves and the jitters would pass once the Las Vegas games begin. But nothing changed, as Dalton averaged merely 10.3 points on 27.9% shooting in Sin City.

The situation was even more concerning on the defensive end. “Defensively, he has somehow looked even worse than he did during the regular season… He just looks disinterested in a lot of possessions out there.” Jovan Buha remarked. Although Summer League performances are usually not assessed that seriously, Knecht’s case is different. Unlike most newcomers, he is on the older side, at 24-years-old. Players younger than him are already All-Stars and franchise leaders in the league, while Dalton is struggling against G League talent. Makes you wonder if his rookie season performance was his ceiling.

“Something’s going on with him… he just didn’t do anything in Summer League. I was so disappointed in him.” Ward added. Obviously, this also puts Lakers in a tough spot because if Knecht’s struggles continue, he could become a massive uncertainty in their future plan.

Veteran insider claims Summer League performance hurt Dalton Knecht’s stock amid trade buzz

Well, its no secret that Rob Pelinka is not opposed to the idea of trading Dalton. He did it earlier this year, sending him to the Hornets in exchange for big man Mark Williams. However, the deal was eventually rescinded because Williams failed his physical. But it was clear that Knecht is expendable.

In that case, Summer League was the perfect opportunity for him to prove his worth to the Lakers or attract interested suitors for a lucrative deal. Unfortunately, he blew it. “Summer League has not helped Knecht’s stock, and I don’t think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation.” Jovan said on Buha’s Block.

Now, Lakers are seemingly stuck in limbo because trading Knecht would not bring in valuable assets like it would have last year. And keeping him does not make sense because their roster is stacked, with multiple new additions. So, the best-case scenario for both Knecht and the Lakers would be that once his Hawaii trip is over, he returns to his rookie season form and impresses his team and the rest of the league like he did last year. That would raise his stock once again. Do you think he can do it?