Dalton Knecht’s path to a Lakers roster spot is suddenly looking shaky, and the numbers alone tell the story: Los Angeles has 16 players under contract, but only 15 spots available.
That leaves Knecht and Jaden Hardy fighting for what could be the final opening, a messy situation for a player the Lakers picked 17th overall in the 2024 NBA draft. For Knecht, simply being in this conversation is a letdown. He flashed early, then faded into the background, and now the Lakers are staring at the possibility that one of their recent first-round swings may not stick.
Los Angeles can’t afford much dead weight at the bottom of the roster. If a player isn’t helping now or doesn’t look like part of the future, the Lakers have little reason to keep him around. Right now, Knecht seems to fit that uncomfortable description.
His situation gets even more precarious because he appears to be deep in Lakers coach JJ Reddick's doghouse. Even if Knecht survives the roster cut, there’s no clear path to real minutes unless injuries force Los Angeles to dig deeper than planned.
Hardy looks like the likelier name to grab the spot, though that doesn’t mean the Lakers are suddenly getting a major difference-maker. He’d be on his third team in five seasons, which says plenty about where he stands.
Still, this roster fight at the back end won’t decide whether the Lakers have a good year. That will fall on the players at the top, especially Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and new starting center Walker Kessler.
And with nine new players in the mix, Los Angeles is banking on the new faces to outperform expectations. As things stand, the Lakers look like the fifth-best team in the West - solid, but not exactly imposing.
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Walker Kessler Sees One Reason Lakers Could Silence Defensive Doubts
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JJ Redick has already said hes pleased with the progress the Lakers made this offseason, and Kesslers comments add to the sense that the rosters defensive ceiling is being taken seriously. The bigger question now is whether those pieces translate from paper to the floor, because if they do, Kessler believes the Lakers have the profile of a contender. [Read more 🡒]