Lakers waive Dalton Knecht, their 2024 first-round pick, on roster cutdown day

Dalton Knecht's time with the Los Angeles Lakers is over.

The Lakers waived their 2024 first-round pick on Monday. They had 16 players under contract and needed to get down to 15, the most an NBA roster can carry, by the 4 p.m. Central deadline.

Los Angeles looked for a 2-for-1 trade that would move Knecht and another player for an extra big man but could not find a deal in time, according to league sources.

A fast start that faded

The Lakers took Knecht with the No. 17 pick after a standout junior season at Tennessee. The 6-foot-6 wing burst out of the gate as a rookie. Over a nine-game stretch in November of that season he averaged 18.9 points on 55.4% shooting and made 52.2% of his 3-pointers.

He could not keep it going. Knecht finished his rookie year averaging 9.1 points in 19.2 minutes over 78 games. Last season his minutes were cut to 10.2 a night and he averaged 4.2 points in 54 games.

In four preseason games this month he averaged 2.8 points on 25% shooting.

His name has been in trade talk before. In February 2025 the Lakers sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams. The deal was called off after Williams failed his physical.

"The team changed"

Coach JJ Redick said last week that the roster around Knecht simply changed.

"The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed," Redick said. "I think he got better as a player over the last two years."

Redick said every player got plenty of chances last season because of all the injuries. This year is different. "We added a lot of wings and he's in a tough spot right now," he said.