Dalton Knecht’s path out of Los Angeles may have opened a new lane in Sacramento.
The former first-round pick was waived at the October 19 roster deadline, leaving him in free agency after a rough stretch with the Lakers. After his trade to the Charlotte Hornets was rescinded, Knecht’s play dropped off, and reports that the Lakers were openly shopping him in trade talks only made things tougher. Still, there’s a strong sense that he won’t be out of the league for long.
Jovan Buha reported that Knecht was likely to stay in the NBA on a two-way contract, and Jake Fischer later pointed to the Kings as a possible landing spot. Speaking on “ Insider Notebook,” Fischer said Sacramento had been searching for backcourt help after Ben Simmons’ injury and had already explored multiple options before the regular season began.
“We’ve been told that the Kings are, and have been, actively looking at various point guard reinforcements, knowing that Simmons is going to be out for the entire year. They were in various trade conversations on Monday, trying to find a point guard solution before the regular season began.
They were in talks with Memphis about potentially trading for Walter Clayton Jr. They also spoke with Milwaukee about Kevin Porter Jr., who was himself waived by the Bucks; he was made available in those trade conversations.”
Fischer then clarified where Knecht fits into the picture.
“So where does Sacramento go from here?” he asked.
“Not exactly certain at this moment. They are a team that I know is in the mix for Dalton Knecht.
He is not exactly a point guard, but Dalton Knecht, well, the Kings have a two-way spot still open after waiving Adam Flagler. He is a candidate for Sacramento.”
Knecht is not the only name on the Kings’ radar. Fischer later added that Sean Pedulla is in the mix for Sacramento’s open two-way spot, and that Micah Peavy is also under consideration. He said all three players are drawing interest from overlapping teams, including Toronto.
“Sean Pedulla is also in the mix for Sacramento’s open two-way spot, along with Dalton Knecht, as we reported on today’s Bleacher Report stream. Sounds like Micah Peavy, Knecht, and Pedulla are under consideration for several overlapping teams, including Toronto for all three.”
Peavy and Pedulla both bring something different. Peavy played in 61 games for the Pelicans last season, but his numbers - 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 15.0 minutes per game, while shooting 38.5% from the field - don’t exactly jump off the page. Pedulla showed more playmaking juice in the G League, averaging 23.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists while hitting 43.3% from the field and 39.6% from three, even though he saw just 4.4 minutes per game in the NBA.
Even with those options in the mix, Knecht has a real case to be the favorite. His production in Los Angeles dipped, but the context mattered.
During his rookie season, he flashed the kind of scoring touch that can change a game in a hurry. He finished last season with averages of 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game, shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.2% from deep.
On a two-way deal, that kind of offensive upside can be hard to pass up. Sacramento wants guard help, but Knecht’s wing scoring may give him the cleanest path to that final spot.
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