New Lakers Rumors on Dalton Knecht's Future, 'Odd Man Out' on Roster Ahead of NBA Season

Dalton Knecht's career with the Los Angeles Lakers could potentially be over just two years after the franchise selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft.

The California Post 's Khobi Price reported Friday "multiple rival executives expect" Knecht "to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15."

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported last week he expected "a lot of pressure on Dalton Knecht to fight for this roster spot with Jaden Hardy in training camp" (h/t ClutchPoints' Julian Ojeda ).

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Lakers coach JJ Redick recently named Hardy as a player he thought would be able to take on some ball-handling duties when Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves aren't running the offense "if he's in the lineup" this season (h/t Lakers Nation's Daniel Starkand).

When asked about Knecht on Thursday, Redick said he had enjoyed a "good three days of practice" and was "hungry to earn a spot in the rotation."

The Lakers acquired Hardy alongside two second-round picks this July as part of the Deandre Ayton trade. He averaged 9.2 points in 15.8 minutes per game last season in a campaign split between the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks.

Knecht, selected by the Lakers 17th overall in the 2024 draft, appeared in 78 games of his rookie season while contributing 9.1 points in 19.2 minutes per game.

He fell out of Redick's regular rotation in his sophomore NBA campaign, at times struggling on defense while averaging 4.2 points in a 10.2 minutes per game through 54 contests.

Knecht went through a midseason shooting slump, shooting 22.2 percent from deep in 12 games in January before slipping out of the rotation entirely down the stretch.

The third-year wing said earlier this week he hopes his shooting, rebounding and more "high effort on the defensive end" will keep him in the Lakers lineup.

Whether Knecht is able to show that development in the preseason, starting next Monday at the Sacramento Kings, could be key to whether he remains in the Lakers' plans by the time Opening Day rosters are due Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. ET.