The Lakers’ new-look roster has left Dalton Knecht in a shaky spot, and October may end up telling the whole story.
Los Angeles spent the 2026 offseason adding pieces around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but that business has only sharpened the pressure on Knecht. Once seen as a promising rookie shooter, he’s now the kind of name that keeps showing up in trade chatter. The problem for the Lakers is that, despite actively shopping him, Knecht is still on the roster because of what has been described as “ zero trade value.”
That doesn’t mean he’s safe. Two October dates could shape where this goes next.
The first arrives on October 19, when teams have to lock in their opening-night rosters. That’s the immediate hurdle, and it may be the clearest sign yet of how Los Angeles feels about Knecht. The Lakers entered training camp with 16 players under contract, one over the 15-man limit, so someone has to go before the season starts.
Knecht survived last year’s roster squeeze, at least in part because he earned his way through camp. This time, the setup is different.
If the Lakers keep him and cut someone else instead, it could mean they still believe he can turn things around - or that they’re simply holding him as a possible trade chip later. Either way, making it through that cutdown date would be the first test.
The second deadline comes on October 31, or November 2 if the decision is pushed to the next working day. That’s when the Lakers have to decide whether to pick up his team option for the 2027-28 season.
If they exercise the $6.4 million club option, Knecht would stay under team control and would be on track to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2028. If they turn it down, he’d become an unrestricted free agent next summer instead. Declining the option would also signal that the Lakers are open to moving on and clearing $4.2 million in salary.
There is one possible upside for Knecht if the option is picked up: it would guarantee his contract and keep his NBA future intact even if he were traded. But that route still doesn’t offer much unless he raises his value, especially with the way restricted free agency tends to play out.
For now, though, the bigger question is whether he even makes the opening-night roster. And right now, the signs aren’t encouraging.
Knecht’s rookie season already took a hit after the failed move to the Charlotte Hornets, and the numbers reflected the slide. He finished last season averaging 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.2% from three.
His preseason hasn’t done much to change the mood. In the Lakers’ first game against the Sacramento Kings, he played 12 minutes and finished with zero points, two rebounds, and an assist. Against the Warriors, he logged nearly 22 minutes and scored 11 points with a rebound and an assist on 37.5% shooting, but that showing came in a game Los Angeles lost and with most of the starters sitting out.
At the moment, Knecht looks even further from a secure role than he did a year ago. Given everything around him, the cleanest outcome may be for both sides to move on.
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