The Los Angeles Lakers have been shopping Dalton Knecht since midway through his rookie campaign last season.
Knecht’s role under coach JJ Redick diminished in his second year with the purple and gold franchise, so the expectation is he’ll be available for trade this offseason.
In 54 games this season, Knecht averaged 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes. He appeared in five games in the playoffs but barely did anything substantial to increase his value.
Dalton Knecht Named Trade Target for East Team
GettyDalton Knecht #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes a three point shot during the second half of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star recently listed the potential trade targets for the Indiana Pacers this offseason.
Dopirak used what Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said about his plans in the summer, which is to improve the roster without trading away their seventh or eighth-best players.
One of the players listed by Dopirak was Dalton Knecht, who falls into what the Pacers need to improve on, shooting. Knecht is a career 36.8% shooter from beyond the arc, so he could crack coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation if they can acquire him.
“Their best options in that case are players on rookie-scale contracts who are unlikely to receive contract extensions from the teams that drafted them,” Dopirak wrote. “The Lakers’ Dalton Knecht fits that mold. He won’t be extension eligible for another year, but he fell out of the Lakers’ rotation almost entirely from mid-January on and played just 18 total minutes in the playoffs.”
Knecht is set to earn $4,201,080 next season, with a club option of $6,452,860 for the 2027-28 season.
Potential Dalton Knecht Trade Scenario
GettyDalton Knecht #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on January 07, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.
Here’s a potential trade involving Dalton Knecht, as per Dustin Dopirak.
Pacers receive: Dalton Knecht
Lakers receive: Ben Sheppard and a future second-round pick
While Knecht’s potential impact for the Pacers would be his shooting, what can Sheppard bring to the Lakers?
Dopirak argued that Sheppard could bring a lot defensively to the Lakers.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks highlighted that the Lakers will have to address multiple issues this offseason, including shooting, adding a shot blocker and lob threat, and a defensive-minded wing.
Sheppard certainly fits the defensive-minded wing, but the Lakers could be looking at other options in the market.
Other Priorities for the Lakers
Trading Dalton Knecht isn’t on the top priorities list for the Lakers. They have other pressing issues this offseason like bringing back Austin Reaves and rebuilding a contender around Luka Doncic.
LeBron James is set to become an unrestricted free agent, but it seems like the Lakers want to sign Reaves first, as reported by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
Bobby Marks also wants the Lakers to bring back Luke Kennard and be active in the restricted free agent market that includes Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, Walker Kessler and Tari Eason.
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