The Knicks wasted no time adding to their roster after opening the season with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
On Friday morning, New York signed former Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht to a two-way deal, giving the defending NBA champions another look at a player who was widely seen as a sharpshooting talent with room to grow.
“Former Lakers forward Dalton Knecht has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks on a two-way NBA contract, his agents at Excel Sports Management tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.
The move came after the Knicks had already been linked to Knecht earlier in the week. On Thursday, SNY’s Ian Begley reported New York’s interest and noted that Knecht was available after being waived before the regular season.
“Knicks are among the teams with interest in former Laker Dalton Knecht, per league sources familiar with Knecht's market. Knecht was waived prior to regular season.
He's eligible to sign a two-way deal. The Stein Line said earlier MIN had interest in Knecht," SNY's Ian Begley posted.
Begley later said the Knicks pushed hard once Knecht became available.
“Knicks were aggressive on Dalton Knecht once he cleared waivers following Lakers release. Club is clearly betting on the 25-year-old’s upside/potential,” Begley wrote.
For New York, the appeal is straightforward: if Knecht finds his shooting form again, he can bring value to a team still trying to strengthen its depth. For Knecht, the opportunity is just as clear. After spending the last year on the bench, he now gets a fresh start and a chance to prove himself.
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One name that keeps coming up in broader roster chatter is PJ Washington, whose fit has been discussed as a way to complement what the Lakers have in place. For now, the center conversation is less about a finished answer than about how far the team wants to go in reshaping that part of the roster, and whether the next move comes from a trade or from a market that is still being watched closely. [Read more 🡒]