The Los Angeles Lakers have an important roster decision to make Monday. Two players whose futures have drawn attention throughout the preseason were nowhere to be found at practice.
Bronny James and Dalton Knecht were excused from Monday’s workout because they were feeling unwell, coach JJ Redick revealed ahead of Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.
“We had a couple of guys under the weather today — Bronny and DK were both excused absences,” Redick told reporters.
The timing was particularly notable for Knecht, whose future remains uncertain as Los Angeles approaches the NBA’s 2 p.m. Pacific roster deadline.
Redick confirmed that the Lakers would make their final roster decision before the deadline.
The team entered Monday with 16 guaranteed contracts, one more than the NBA’s regular-season limit.
Although both players missed practice because of illness, their absences came after difficult preseason performances.
Dalton Knecht Faces Uncertain Future With Lakers
Knecht has emerged as a leading candidate to be moved as Los Angeles attempts to finalize its roster.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Lakers spent the weekend exploring a workable trade involving the former first-round pick, potentially in exchange for another big man.
NBA insider Jake Fischer previously reported that Los Angeles discussed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks involving center Jericho Sims, although there was skepticism about whether an agreement could be reached.
Knecht’s struggles have hardly helped his situation.
The 25-year-old averaged just 2.8 points across four preseason appearances, shooting 25% from the field.
He scored 11 points against Golden State on Oct. 6 but went scoreless in his other three appearances, including the Lakers’ final two exhibition games.
Knecht also averaged only 4.2 points in 54 regular-season games last season after showing promise during his rookie campaign.
Redick recently acknowledged that the Lakers’ roster needs have changed, complicating Knecht’s path toward playing time.
“The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed,” Redick said before Friday’s preseason finale. “I think he got better as a player over the last two years. I think each guy has, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had. So I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”
With Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and other perimeter options now available, Knecht faces considerably more competition.
His absence Monday was attributed to illness, not a pending transaction.
Bronny James Also Misses Practice After Rough Preseason
James’ absence came after an equally challenging preseason.
The 22-year-old guard averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds in five appearances while shooting 25% from the field.
His final two outings were particularly difficult.
James went scoreless against Golden State on Oct. 13, committing four turnovers in 11 minutes. He also failed to score in 12 minutes against Denver in Friday’s preseason finale.
Redick had already expressed disappointment with James’ preseason performances while acknowledging that his practices had been more encouraging.
“I don’t think he’s played well,” Redick said after the Lakers’ second preseason loss to Golden State.
James, however, is not facing the same level of reported trade speculation as Knecht.
The Lakers exercised his contract option during the offseason, signaling their continued interest in his development following LeBron James‘ departure.
Monday’s absence does not necessarily threaten his availability Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Collin Sextonreturned to full practice after missing the entire preseason, while Adou Thiero and Cameron Carrremained limited.
But the Lakers’ immediate concern is their roster deadline.
And until the front office makes its decision, Knecht’s future remains the biggest unanswered question.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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