The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy 2026 NBA offseason, and despite making a huge roster overhaul, aren’t done with moves just yet. While free agency and trade rumors continue, even if the Lakers can’t land any of their top targets, chances will have to be made, as the team currently has 16 players on the roster, and that number will need to drop to 15 before the upcoming season begins.
With that, the notion that the Lakers will need to cut ties with one of their current players feels evident, as despite still being linked to Jonathan Kuminga, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and a few other names, a move for any of them doesn’t feel imminent at this point.
So, after all the changes this offseason, the Lakers are expected to move on from at least one of their players over the next few months, and two names that stand out as having a very uncertain future within Los Angeles include Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Lakers Urged To Cut Ties With Dalton Knecht In Final Roster Move
GettyDalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during an NBA game.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com about the current Lakers roster troubles, Svyatoslav Rovenchuk urged Los Angeles to consider a few options for how to move on from one player to fit the NBA’s roster parameters. His first idea was for the team to cut ties with Knecht, a notion that isn’t new, but could be a growing reality as time goes on.
“When looking up and down the Lakers roster, Dalton Knecht is an easy conclusion as to who the 16th player is in the pecking order. That makes him a prime candidate to leave the team via trade or an outright release,” he wrote. “Releasing Knecht would only put dead money on the Lakers’ cap books for the 2026-27 season. That is a fate they should be able to stomach.”
Trading Knecht from this Lakers roster is another option, one the team has tried in the past, but no deals have ever come to fruition. Still, his market around the league looks bleak, and whether it be waiving or cutting his contract, Knecht remains at the bottom of the Lakers’ totem pole, with a more uncertain future on the roster than ever.
“Everyone else on the current Lakers roster is either more proven than Dalton Knecht, has more intriguing upside, or is just downright better than him,” Rovenchuk wrote in a separate article. “Truly, go up and down the group of players in Los Angeles and find someone who does not fit one of those descriptors.”
Knecht averaged just 4.2 points on 10.2 minutes per game for the Lakers this past season, and consistently remains one name mentioned as on the move from the franchise.
Moving Jarred Vanderbilt Is Another Fix To Issue
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 30: Jarred Vanderbilt #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Along with the idea of cutting ties with Knecht, Rovenchuk named moving away from Vanderbilt as a potential fix to the Lakers roster issue. While playing a bigger role on the team in years past, the 27-year-old played an average of 17.4 minutes per game last season and has constantly been mentioned in trade rumors over the past few seasons.
“Jarred Vanderbilt has two years and roughly $25.7 million left on his current contract. It is easily the worst deal on the Lakers’ cap books. Los Angeles could get to 15 players with a waive-and-stretch of that remaining money,” the Lakers writer stated.
“The main reason why this would not be at the top of the list is Vanderbilt’s money would continue to linger for an extended period as a part of the books. That is not unbearable, but it is also not ideal for a franchise that wants to use free agency as a vehicle to improve their team.”
Vanderbilt’s remaining contract does make things a bit more difficult for the Lakers to move him off the roster, but if the front office and coaching staff believe another player could play his role better, then sending him away isn’t the worst idea in the world.
Rovenchuk also mentioned the Lakers completing a ‘2 for 1’ trade to round out the offseason moves as another option to get the roster down to 15 players, but right now, the chances of that happening remain uncertain.
The Lakers continue to be linked to Kuminga, Washington, Gafford, and a few other names in trade rumors, but considering their lack of draft picks and the limited market for guys like Vanderbilt, Knecht, and the other fringe players, the chances of a trade fixing their roster issues feel slim.
Regardless of whether Los Angeles makes one more move this offseason, changes will have to be made. Currently with 16 players on this Lakers roster, at least one person on the team now won’t be when the 2026-27 NBA season begins.
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