The Los Angeles Lakers have until Monday to cut one player, and they’ve made it clear who they want it to be. Moving Dalton Knecht, though, is proving harder than expected.
The Lakers carry 16 players on standard contracts and must get down to the league limit of 15 by Monday, Oct. 19, two days before their opener against the Warriors. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported that the front office has decided Knecht “will not be a part of this roster long-term,” but finding a trade partner has been difficult.
On Saturday, Siegel reported that Los Angeles approached the Milwaukee Bucks about center Jericho Sims, but Milwaukee was not “all that receptive” to a deal built around a single second-round pick. The Lakers are now exploring whether a two-for-one deal could bring back a center, and have called Milwaukee, Chicago, and Utah.
That detail matters for the roster math. A straight one-for-one swap for Sims would leave the Lakers at 16 players, so they’d still need another move to reach 15. A two-for-one would solve the problem in a single deal.
Redick Points to Roster Changes
Head coach JJ Redick addressed Knecht’s situation before the preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets.
“I think the biggest thing is the team changed,” Redick said. “The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years.”
“I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now,” he added.
The numbers reflect how much his role has shrunk. Knecht was the 17th pick in the 2024 draft, the same class as Bronny James, and averaged 9.1 points in 19.2 minutes across 78 games as a rookie. Last season, his production fell to 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 54 appearances, with his playing time dropping to 10.2 minutes per game.
His time in Los Angeles was also complicated by the rescinded Mark Williams trade in February 2025. The Lakers had agreed to send Knecht to Charlotte as part of the deal, but it was called off over concerns about Williams’ health. Knecht returned to Los Angeles, but his role never recovered.
His preseason has done little to help. Knecht was scoreless in 12 minutes in the opener at Sacramento, then scored 11 points in 22 minutes in a 124-98 loss at Golden State on Oct. 6. He sat out the Oct. 8 rematch with the Kings with a contusion, went 0-for-2 in six minutes in a 101-89 loss to the Warriors on Oct. 13, and was scoreless in eight minutes in Friday’s 121-106 loss to Denver. He finished the preseason averaging 2.8 points on 25% shooting.
The market has offered no clear answer. Jake Fischer reported exploratory talks between the Lakers and Bucks involving Knecht and second-round draft capital for Sims, but he also heard “some pessimism” from sources briefed on the talks. If no deal comes together, Fischer said, the Lakers “might be forced” to simply waive Knecht and pay the remaining $4.2 million on his contract.
Knecht said at media day that his confidence “will never drop.” Whether that earns him another chance in Los Angeles will be decided by the Lakers’ final cuts, which could also send him looking for a fresh start elsewhere.