The Kings may not need another wing today, but Dalton Knecht is the kind of name that starts making more sense when you look a little further down the road.
After a solid rookie year followed by a difficult second season, the Lakers waived Knecht. Sacramento’s wing group is crowded, and the bigger immediate need is clearly at point guard. Still, there’s a reasonable argument for the Kings to take a look at him on a two-way deal and think about what he could become with more time.
Nobody around the league seemed shocked when Los Angeles moved on. The Lakers had already tried to trade Knecht to the Hornets during his first season, but that deal collapsed because Charlotte’s Mark Williams did not pass his physical. From there, things took a turn.
Knecht had been putting together a respectable rookie campaign before the trade chatter surfaced, and the source material makes clear that the failed move seemed to affect him. He did not look like the same player after that point, and that carried through the rest of his time with the Lakers.
As the roster kept shifting during his second season and into the offseason, Knecht appeared to be getting pushed further out of the picture. When the Lakers couldn’t find a trade, they chose to eat his contract and absorb the salary hit. Once he clears waivers, he becomes a full-on UFA.
For Sacramento, the appeal would not be about filling an immediate hole. Knecht is a small forward and shooting guard, not a point guard, and the Kings already have nine players who fit at either or both of those wing spots.
That depth could change by season’s end, though. Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Ben Simmons, and Malik Monk may all be off the roster by then, which would thin out the logjam and open the door for someone like Knecht.
That is why the two-way idea makes sense. It would give Sacramento a chance to develop him now for next season, even if he is not the answer to the club’s most pressing need.
The Kings do have a regular roster spot open, but that spot, according to the source material, should be reserved for another point guard to back up Darius Acuff Jr. If Sacramento does not use it that way for what the source calls “some insane reason,” then Jonathan Mogbo should get the nod because he has “more than earned that promotion.”
Knecht’s shooting gives him another point of appeal. He could help create space for Acuff to operate or work alongside offense flowing through Domantas Sabonis. The defense may be a work in progress, but the idea here is future development, and that is the real reason he would be worth considering.
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Dallas may have the edge on paper because it has a two-way roster spot available and a pre-existing relationship with Clayton, which could make that an appealing landing spot if he clears waivers. Still, the next step may come down to something simpler than team fit alone: where he can actually get minutes, and how that lines up with the long-term direction he wants for his career. [Read more 🡒]