Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Dalton Knecht went through a unique experience over the last week, one which most NBA players never encounter across the entirety of their careers.
The Lakers traded the rookie sharpshooter ahead of the league’s Feb. 6 deadline along with a first-round pick in 2031, a first-round pick swap in 2030 and teammate Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets in return for center Mark Williams. L.A. made the deal at the behest of newly-acquired superstar Luka Doncic in an effort to show him the organizational willingness to fulfill his desire to play alongside a lob threat.
While Doncic almost certainly didn’t specify whom he would like the Lakers to trade in order to land a rim-running/rim-protecting big man, it was Doncic’s arrival and subsequent personnel requests that led the team to move Knecht in the first place. As such, it was presumably mighty awkward for the rookie to return to Los Angeles just days after the Lakers’ rescinded the trade due to Williams’ failed physical.
Knecht spoke to the awkwardness and rawness of returning to the franchise that drafted and traded him — all inside his first calendar year in the NBA — following the Lakers’ 12-point road loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, February 12.
“It was a crazy time,” Knecht said, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Not too many people have done that, come back [after being traded]. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to hoop.”
Dalton Knecht Raved About Playing Alongside Luka Doncic
Getty Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Knecht admitted that the circumstances of the trade gone awry were “hard” to experience, but added glowing comments about his first time sharing the court with Doncic as teammates.
“The passes that he was making out there, it’s crazy,” Knecht continued. “They told me first thing back is no matter what, when [Doncic] has the ball, be ready to shoot. He’s going to get it to you, no matter what. And seeing a couple passes to [Austin Reaves], [LeBron James] — he wasn’t even looking. So it was crazy. I’m excited.”
Lakers Likely to Revisit Trade Options This Offseason
GettyLos Angeles Lakers shooting guard Dalton Knecht.
Regardless of what Knecht is explicitly thinking or what he’s shared with confidantes to this point, the 23-year-old has handled the situation with maturity and class and has done all the right things outwardly.
That doesn’t mean, however, that he won’t be back on the trade block as soon as the free agency period officially opens this summer.
Whether the Lakers will attempt to trade Knecht again is impossible to say for certain in mid-February. What isn’t hard to forecast is that the team will definitely look to find Doncic the lob threat he wants and the rim protector the defense is going to need for years to come.
Knecht can spread the floor and knock down 3-point shots, which is a valuable asset in the contemporary NBA. If L.A. can get in the game for a Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers or a Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets this summer, Knecht may well be on the move yet again.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dalton Knecht Sends Candid Message on Lakers Return, Joining Luka Doncic appeared first on Heavy Sports.