The Lakers’ roster crunch has turned into an uncomfortable spotlight on Dalton Knecht.
Los Angeles has loaded up this offseason, and the result is a team carrying 16 guaranteed contracts - one more than the regular-season limit. If the front office doesn’t find a trade before opening night, somebody has to go. And inside the Lakers’ orbit, the name coming up most often is Knecht’s.
That was the read from Jovan Buha, Trevor Lane and Iztok Franko on a recent episode of Buha’s Block, where the conversation quickly narrowed to a small group of candidates. Lane framed the problem plainly: “I think the interesting thing is right now they’ve got, what, 16 guaranteed contracts on the books.
If they don’t change something before, who’s the odd man out? Who gets cut in order to make room?
Now, obviously, they’ve got a long way to go. It’s not a problem for today necessarily, but who do they move on from?”
Buha’s answer put Knecht squarely in the danger zone.
“And at that point, it doesn’t really matter from a financial perspective unless you’re waiving someone who’s got additional years. So I guess it’s a competition between Bronny, Jaden Hardy, and Dalton Knecht. I’d probably lean Dalton.”
Lane agreed, and didn’t dance around it. “Me too.
That was where I went on my last show. People were asking that, and I said, ‘Yeah, I would probably cut Dalton Knecht.’
Ouch. Seventeenth pick.”
Franko pointed out that Knecht was once part of the mix early in his rookie season, which makes the drop-off even more striking. “And if you go back again, last year, at least early in the season, he was part of the rotation. So I think the upgrade of the depth is real.”
Buha then explained why Knecht appears to have the toughest path back into the lineup.
“And, like, yeah, of those three, I think he’s the guy who has the hardest pathway to minutes. I guess if Sexton gets injured, there’s a clear pathway for Bronny or Hardy to replace Sexton as a placeholder for the time being.
If any of the other wings get injured, it’s just play one of the other wings more minutes, and it’s not put Dalton in the rotation. So he’s the one that’s the most expendable.”
Franko added that even when it comes to wing minutes, Knecht may be the easiest player to bump aside. “If you want to play Carr or Knecht, you just give all the minutes to Carr.
He’s the same archetype but much more athletic, a much better version. So I think it doesn’t make sense.”
The conversation tracks with how sharply Knecht’s stock has fallen. As a rookie, the former No. 17 overall pick put up 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from three across 78 games. He played 19.2 minutes a night and looked like one of the more promising young pieces on the roster.
Last season told a very different story. Knecht’s production dipped to 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 54 games, with his shooting numbers slipping to 45.5% overall and 34.2% from deep. His minutes dropped all the way to 10.2 per game, and his standing around the league has taken a hit.
There are also questions hanging over his game, especially when it comes to basketball IQ and mental preparedness.
Knecht is now in the third season of his four-year, $18.4 million rookie contract and is set to make about $4.2 million next season. The Lakers also have a $6.4 million team option for the 2028-29 season, with that deadline coming on October 31, 2026. If Los Angeles does decide to move on, waiving him before that date would make the most financial sense.
Bronny James, by contrast, looks to have the staff’s trust. The Lakers have been encouraged by his work ethic and defensive ability, and he’s coming off a season in which he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field and 38.6% from three. He’s under team control on a four-year, $7.8 million rookie deal and will earn $2.2 million next season.
Jaden Hardy also seems safe. The 24-year-old averaged 9.2 points last season while shooting 42.4% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc.
He’s entering the second year of his three-year, $18 million contract and is due about $6 million next season. The Lakers also hold a $6 million team option for 2027-28.
The preferred outcome, of course, would be no cut at all. The Lakers would rather bundle players in a trade and bring back a starting-caliber forward such as Jonathan Kuminga or P.J.
Washington. But those talks are still unresolved, and they’ve been difficult enough that the team may have to settle on a tougher answer.
If that happens, the insiders’ read is clear: Dalton Knecht is the one most likely to be squeezed out.
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