Lakers Waive Dalton Knecht Ahead Of Season Opener, Roster Deadline After Failing To Find Trade Partner

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

The Lakers waived Knecht on Monday, just two days before they officially open the 2026-27 NBA season, the team announced. The decision came just before the league's deadline for teams to finalize their regular-season rosters.

As a result, both Bronny James and Jaden Hardy made the Lakers' opening-day roster. James, Hardy and Knecht were widely considered the best options for the Lakers to cut to get to the 15-player maximum after they entered training camp with one too many players.

The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick in 2024 out of Tennessee. He was a solid bench player for the franchise as a rookie, too, averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in about 19 minutes per game off the bench.

The Lakers actually cut a deal to trade him to the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the deadline in 2025. But that trade, which was done so the Lakers could acquire center Mark Williams, fell through after Williams failed his physical. So Knecht went back to Los Angeles and has been there ever since.

Knecht's numbers fell harshly last season. He ended up averaging just 4.2 points in about 10 minutes per game off the bench. The Lakers were reportedly looking to trade Knecht ahead of Monday's roster deadline, ready to move on from their former first-round selection altogether. The Athletic's Dan Woike reported the team had engaged in multiple trade calls throughout camp, but there was "no significant trade market" for Knecht.

So, as they still had one too many players on the roster, the Lakers simply opted to cut their losses on Monday and move on. Knecht had two years left on his initial four-year, $18.4 million rookie deal.

"The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed," head coach JJ Redick said of Knecht on Friday, via The Athletic. "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."

The Lakers will open the season Wednesday night at home against the Golden State Warriors. It'll mark the third season under Redick, and the first without LeBron James since 2018. James opted to leave the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this past summer, leaving Luka Dončić as the sole star for the franchise to build around.

Knecht, meanwhile, will start the season as a free agent. The 25-year-old was a thrilling player to watch in college, and he got Tennessee to the Elite Eight during his one season with the Volunteers after transferring in. But so far, his NBA career has struggled to take off. Now he'll get the chance at a fresh start, ideally with a team that wants to keep him around.