It has been a chaotic last 24 hours for the Los Angeles Lakers. It all started with the Purple & Gold’s franchise player signing his massive $52.6 million However, as soon as the 40-year-old veteran announced he’s returning for a 23rd season, instead of the speculation around his future coming to an end, they started to run rampant. This came after his agent said that they’ll assess the Lakers’ moves during the offseason.

However, if this wasn’t enough, their other veteran star, Dorian Finney-Smith, did not follow in LeBron’s footsteps and declined his $15.4 player option for the next season. Despite having a great time in Southern California and his ties with the players and coaches, the 32-year-old will now check the free agency waters. This has further added immense pressure on the LA front office to look for a replacement for the former Nets star.

Their answer? Well, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, DFS’s replacement might be on the way. “Sources from three different rival teams have linked the Lakers to De’Anthony Melton here as we near the official start of free agency. Expectation is that there’s strong mutual interest,” he wrote on X. Yes, the former Warriors forward De’Anthony Melton is on LA’s radar as they hope to land Finney-Smith’s replacement, with him looking Houston-bound.

If you’re not aware, although DFS is yet to comment on his future, the Houston Rockets look like the favorites to sign him. That’s mostly because of the fact that they are one of the few teams that can give out a non-taxpayer’s MLE, meaning they can offer Dorian Finney-Smith a fourth year on the deal. That for a player in his 30s is massive. Although he’ll be making less than what the Lakers offered him, the long-term stability makes Houston’s offer appealing. This leaves the Purple & Gold with yet another void to fill.

DFS was the three-and-D guy for the Lakers, who’d come off the bench and provide that bit of extra depth. That’s why LA has identified De’Anthony Melton as his like-for-like replacement. Melton played a key role in Golden State’s red-hot start last season, before he suffered a devastating ACL injury. Then he was sent to the Nets where he continued his recovery and his set to suit up at the start of the upcoming campaign. It will be interesting to see how he fits returning to the court after a long hiatus.

As the Lakers try to figure out Dorian Finney-Smith and De’Anthony Melton, their sophomore forward reflects on his rookie season in Southern California.

Dalton Knecht reflects on his first season with the Purple & Gold

The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for a huge summer, as they look for ways to bolster their roster. However, amid this, their young forward reflects on his first season with the Lakers. Only a few rookies had a more eventful season than LA’s Dalton Knecht. On one hand, the 24-year-old star showed glimpses of his true ceiling at times. On the other hand, he was left out completely cold by the Lakers’ HC JJ Redick. Not to mention, he was almost traded to the Charlotte Hornets before coming back.

Amid all of this chaos, Knecht truly enjoyed his time with the Purple & Gold. Only that could justify him trying to dunk over Anthony Davis in his first-ever training session. “Welcome to the NBA moment? I’d say my first practice with AD and Bron. That was my first welcome to the NBA moment.” Knecht recalls. Of course, his welcome to the NBA moment was training with AD and LeBron James. We mean it’s a dream for most of the kids. However, it wasn’t for the reason you might think.

“I tried to dunk on AD and, you know, AD’s a great shot blocker.” The rookie said. That’s a gutsy move if we’ve ever seen one. It ended how most of us would imagine, giving Dalton Knecht a reality check. However, that wasn’t it. The forward also spoke about the switch from college to pro ball and talked about the biggest change that he felt was the number of games. It’s obvious, given usually college seasons usually last for about 40 games, which is far less than the NBA’s 82 games.

Dalton Knecht also talked about the lessons he learned being with arguably the best player in the modern era, LeBron James. The 40-year-old veteran gave him some wisdom on how consistency is the key to longevity and success. He seems to be applying that pretty well into his life, as the 24-year-old finished the season averaging 9.1 points along with 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists, that too, with limited playing time. So, it will be worth watching how Dalton Knecht’s second year in LA pans out.