The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t decided on the final roster cut ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, but all signs point to that being Dalton Knecht, who didn’t do himself any favors with his performance in the team’s preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Knecht has had one decent showing through the Lakers’ four preseason games so far, but in what might be his last attempt at keeping his spot on the roster, he put up a dud, scoring zero points in nine minutes on the floor.
The Lakers have until October 19 at 2 p.m. PST to make a final decision, which will all but certainly come down to Knecht or Jaden Hardy.
However, new reports state the Lakers are very interested in making a trade, and with that, Knecht could have hope to either stay on the roster or get another chance on a new NBA team.
Dalton Knecht Handed Brutal Outlook After Preseason Game Vs. Warriors
During Los Angeles’ 12-point loss to Golden State on Tuesday night, Knecht didn’t put up a great showing. He missed both of his shot attempts, had one rebound, committed two turnovers, and was a -7 in his limited action.
Comparing that to the Lakers’ other top candidate to be left off the 15-man roster, Hardy, who had ten points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block, Knecht may have put the nail in the coffin on general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick’s final decision.
It was the second time Knecht failed to score in the preseason, and as Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote for LakeShowLife.com, the third-year wing’s body language even showed that he knows his time in Los Angeles is coming to an end.
“Trying to read body language can be a bit of a pseudoscience at times. However, for those who partake, Tuesday night featured a rough display from Knecht. It was not even the first time this has been brought up as an indictment of his play from the preseason. In many ways, the former first-round pick is playing the part of someone who believes he is going to be off the team.”
Knecht has always been the one name rumored to be on the way out this season, as the Lakers reportedly tried trading him twice, and things just haven’t worked out as planned ever since he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
It was Knecht’s second time in the preseason in which he didn’t score, and if the previous reporting about his status as the last man out on the Lakers’ roster and rotation wasn’t enough, his showing against the Warriors proved that point completely.
Los Angeles Mentioned In Trade Rumors, Could Be The Shooter’s Saving Grace
Though Knecht’s future is all but sealed, the 25-year-old might have one more shred of hope about his status.
According to a new report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers are reportedly still interested in making a trade less than a week before the season opener. With that, Knecht, Hardy, and Jarred Vanderbilt have consistently been mentioned as the top trade targets if Los Angeles can find a deal for a starting power forward or backup center.
If Knecht is looking for a fresh start, that’s good news, because as team insider Jovan Buha recently said, the Lakers have been trying to trade him for a while.
“This should come as no surprise, in my opinion,” he said. “The Lakers have been trying to trade both of these players going back really almost two seasons.”
“They’ve been shopping these guys for a while, well over a year. They were shopping them last deadline. They’ve been shopping them this offseason. They’ve not been able to offload them.”
Say the franchise does find a trade partner to upgrade the roster. That would likely mean the Lakers move Knecht and Vanderbilt to both get under the 15-man limit to give both a fresh start, which the former might be best suited for.
On the other hand, if Knecht wants to stay with the Lakers, there’s a real chance the front office is looking to move Hardy, as Buha also recently confirmed.
“Now the funny thing is the Lakers are going to be trying to trade Jaden Hardy,” he said on a recent episode of his show, Buha’s Block. “I think a couple like (Justin) Champagnie and (Bilal) Coulibaly could be gettable during the season. I would say those are a couple of names, lower-level names. I think more bench-level guys, but [they] could improve the roster.”
It remains to be seen if the Lakers can or will trade Knecht, Hardy, or Vanderbilt, but the streets have been talking, and in just the past few days, the trade rumors have ramped up.
Los Angeles has been reportedly interested in one final move before the season, but the value of each of those players appears to be too low for the team to find a deal that works for them.
However, if a rival wants Knecht, that should be good news for him if he’s looking for a new team. If he wants to stay, Hardy remains a top trade candidate who might be more intersesting a player for other franchises to develop.
Regardless, if the Lakers can’t trade Knecht, he’s likely off the roster by October 19. It’s been a very strange tenure for the wing in Los Angeles, and all signs point to it coming to a close very soon.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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