That is not exactly how it played out, however, as only one transaction came to fruition with Gabe Vincent and a future second round pick going to the Atlanta Hawks for Luke Kennard. There was a bit of wishful thinking that more moves were on the horizon before the deadline, but nothing else materialized.

The reason behind it was general manager Rob Pelinka attempted to offload players but was unable to find any takers, with second-year guard Dalton Knecht being at the top of that list, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:

They were unable to offload any other players, including Dalton Knecht, who league sources say the Lakers shopped aggressively.

The Lakers needed to attach draft compensation to get off of Vincent’s contract to acquire Kennard, so the same likely would have needed to be the case for other players like Knecht.

It’s an unfortunate situation for Knecht as he looked very promising at the start of his rookie season after being drafted 17th overall in 2024 out of Tennessee.

He was traded at last year’s deadline to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, although the deal got rescinded and Knecht was sent back to L.A.

Since then, he hasn’t looked or played like himself, likely lacking the confidence he showed to begin his career. All parties knew that a change of scenery was needed at this year’s deadline, but as the report states, the Lakers weren’t able to find any takers for Knecht despite shopping him aggressively.

Now, the Lakers still have Knecht on the roster for the rest of the season, so hopefully he can regain his form and provide some value to the team before likely being back on the trade block this summer.

Lakers picked up Dalton Knecht’s option for 2026-27

Earlier this season, the Lakers announced that they had picked up Knecht’s third-year rookie scale team option for the 2026-27 season.

That likely complicated things in trade talks as teams would prefer to acquire expiring contracts to maintain financial flexibility going into the summer.

Given Knecht’s decline as a player and that fact he is under contract for another season, teams weren’t willing to take a flyer unless the Lakers attached draft compensation with the 24-year-old, which they did not have at their disposal.

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It’s no secret they can use a 3-and-D wing, and one name who could fit that billing, in theory, is De’Andre Hunter of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hunter just had a good game against the Lakers this week and is reportedly among the players they are targeting in trade talks.

To take it a step further, Chris Fedor reported on the “Wine and Gold Talk” podcast that the Lakers and Cavaliers have discussed the framework of a Hunter trade involving Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht and a third team:

“I just want to say from people that I’ve talked to, my sources tell me that a general framework has been discussed between the Cavs and the Lakers and a third team. It’s hard because the Lakers are right below the apron. Like $900,000 below the apron, but they are a tax team. So there are some restrictions that they have, and we all know the complications for the Cavs when it comes to trades, they can’t aggregate salaries, they only have one really first-round draft pick that they can trade, they have to be right on the number in terms of salary-matching purposes. But my sources tell me that the Cavs and the Lakers have discussed a general framework surrounding De’Andre Hunter of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, and then bringing in a third team.”

Hunter is on the trade block because he is having a bit of a down year for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.2 minutes per game off the bench while shooting 42.2% from the field and 30.9% from 3-point range. Those percentages are significantly lower than his career numbers of 44.8% and 36.5%.

If the Lakers were to trade for Hunter then they would be betting that he could shoot closer to his career numbers while providing some perimeter defense. Reports have indicated that the Lakers are looking to maintain their future cap space going into the summer though, and Hunter would make that difficult as he has one more year remaining on his deal after this one at $24.9 million.

Lakers open to trading both Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht?

As stated in the report, it would probably have to be a three-team deal to make the money work, but Hachimura and Knecht would likely be the players departing L.A.

According to recent reports, the Lakers would be open to trading both Hachimura and Knecht with the latter needing a change of scenery to get his career back on track.

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Early on in his rookie season, Knecht seemed to be living up to that expectation, but as the year went on his struggles defensively led to him falling out of the rotation. The rescinded trade that saw him sent to the Charlotte Hornets only made things more awkward when he returned and he has yet to find his footing in his second season.

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, many players are sure to hear their names floating around in rumors and to no surprise Knecht is among them. According to Broderick Turner and Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the L.A. Times, the Lakers are willing to part with Knecht in a deal at the deadline:

Lakers seldom-used guard Dalton Knecht has been a player that NBA people say L.A. is willing to move in a trade, along with a second-round pick attached to him to make it work.

This really shouldn’t come as any surprise as the Lakers showed last year that they were willing to move Knecht if the right deal came along. Unfortunately, his trade value has only decreased, hence why the Lakers would likely have to include a draft pick in a potential deal, but he has had a handful of good games this season when given increased minutes.

Particularly early in the season, Knecht proved once again that he is a capable scorer at the NBA level and has multiple games with double-digit points while showing an increased willingness to sacrifice his body on the defensive end.

But he hasn’t been able to secure a consistent spot in the rotation and with the Lakers on the market for upgrades on the wing, Knecht is a piece that could be on the move at the deadline on Feb. 5.

Big men across the league want to play with Luka Doncic on Lakers

Improving their perimeter defense is a top priority, but the Lakers could also be looking for some upgrades down low at the center position and the presence of Luka Doncic could help them there as big men across the league would reportedly love to pair up with the superstar guard in purple and gold.

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After being a part of that rescinded trade to the Charlotte Hornets, Knecht’s confidence was clearly shaken. As a shooter of his caliber, confidence is vital to providing production as a spacer, but it never returned last season.

To begin his sophomore season, there was a belief that Knecht would be in a better headspace. Yet through preseason and spot minutes, he has not looked like the lethal shooter he once was as a rookie.

However, NBA players have to stay ready and the Lakers have gone through their fair share of struggles. With the L.A. remaining last in bench scoring, head coach JJ Redick opted to dig deeper for answers and Knecht was that.

Prior to Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Redick revealed the former No. 17 pick would receive an opportunity in the rotation after recently being out of it.

“Yeah, Dalton will get a look tonight and he’ll get a look for the foreseeable future,” Redick said.

While having an offensive punch off the bench is the dream, the second-year coach is not looking solely for points, but he wants Knecht to play hard on both ends in his minutes.

“Play hard,” Redick said of what Knecht’s focus should be. “That’s been the biggest point of emphasis for him all season. He’s not gonna be judged on whether he makes or misses shots, but that helps. When you go through a stretch where you feel like your team isn’t playing hard, you gotta play the guys that are consistently playing hard. I think he’s had some really good moments already this season and I think for him, probably the next week or so, he’s gonna have consistent playing time and consistent opportunities.”

In 11 minutes against the Grizzlies, the 6’6″ forward did not score and the only stat he recorded was a turnover. But, he was a plus-8 on the court and that is typically not the case when he is not making shots.

Obviously, re-establishing his stroke as a shooter remains a high priority if Knecht hopes to find consistent minutes. Redick is willing to give him more spot minutes, so this is his chance to show his coach he can help this team.

If the 24-year-old can demonstrate his willingness to do other things outside of scoring, it will help him in the long run to securing playing time.

JJ Redick maintains ‘very high belief’ in Dalton Knecht

Stock in Knecht feels like it is at an all-time low right now after seeing him drop 37 points last season. He has had plenty of struggles since, but having a belief system around him is vital.

It starts at the top with head coach and Redick shared that he is maintaining a very high belief in Knecht. Hopefully within this next week or so, he can establish himself once again.

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However, in a surprising move, the deal that would’ve brought Williams to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and draft picks, was rescinded after the big man failed his physical. Williams has had a lengthy injury history since entering the NBA and even though he was playing prior to the deal, the Lakers medical staff didn’t like what they saw in his physical.

This was something that bothered Williams and the big man, who has since been traded to the Phoenix Suns, recently opened up about what went down and the grudge he still holds against the Lakers on an episode of “The Young Man and the Three” podcast:

“And then they tell me [about the failed physical/rescinded trade]. I’m like, that can’t be, like, I just played the Bucks that night that I got the call I’m getting traded. I’m out here. They’re like, ‘Yeah, it’s done. Like, we’re not going back.’ I was like, y’all can’t undo the undo? Like, what you mean? They’re like, ‘No, it’s done.’ So I’m hot. Like, I was excited. I was, like, you know, it’s time. You know, Charlotte wanted to trade me, whatever. Like, I’m excited. We play them first game out the break, and then I got to go back to Charlotte. So All-Star break, I’m just like, ‘What the f–k?’ “And then, first game out is L.A, of course, like, you can’t write it any other way… I’m just trying to show, like, the rest of the time, like. Honestly, like, f–k y’all. Like, I was I was just want. I mean, really, I was excited to go there. I thought I was, like, a piece that could really help them. Obviously, going into the playoffs, and then once they lost, obviously I tweeted little smiley face. Like, I was I was hating. I was hating. I was hating.”

Williams’ feelings about this situation are valid as it is hard to understand how someone who has been playing could fail a physical. And to have to return to a team after they agreed to trade you away is a difficult position, as Knecht also found out in returning to the Lakers.

Even Williams’ tweet after the Lakers were dominated in the paint in their playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves is understandable and at least he admits to being a hater. In the end, what’s done is done and both Williams and the Lakers have moved forward from what was an awkward situation for everyone involved.

Jaxson Hayes says Lakers must keep stepping up to make up for injuries

Unfortunately, the Lakers have been hounded by injuries so far this season. Many players have had to step up to make up for the absences and big man Jaxson Hayes says this team must continue to do so.

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