The Utah Jazz are close to finishing their Opening Night roster, working through training camp cuts and bringing back familiar names like Tony Bradley. But one of the more intriguing possibilities tied to that process is Dalton Knecht, the Los Angeles Lakers wing who has reportedly been discussed with Utah.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported that the Lakers have talked about trading Knecht to multiple teams, including the Jazz. If that buzz proves accurate, the path to Utah may not come through a deal at all. The more likely route, according to the reporting, is that the Lakers eventually waive him and teams like the Jazz wait to swoop in once he clears waivers.
That would be a strange bit of basketball symmetry, because Knecht delivered the best night of his pro career against Utah. Back in November 2024, he lit the Jazz up for 37 points on 12-for-16 shooting. For a stretch, it looked like the Lakers had landed a player Utah had passed on at the wrong time.
Then came the fallout from nearly being traded to Charlotte a few months later, and Knecht’s momentum stalled. His game never really bounced back from that episode, which is why he’s now being viewed as a classic buy-low target.
In Utah’s case, that makes the fit even more interesting. When his confidence was rolling, he absolutely punished them.
There’s also a basketball reason the Jazz could look past the awkward history and still take a hard look at him. Utah already has a pure wing shooter in Svi Mykhailiuk, and by all accounts he has earned the minutes he’s getting. But there’s no rule saying the Jazz can only have one floor-spacing wing, especially not if another one once hung 37 on them.
Knecht is entering his third NBA season, though he’s already 25, so he’s not some fresh-out-of-college project. Even so, he still profiles as the kind of scorer who could add punch to a team trying to climb the ladder. Utah could also offer him something he hasn’t had much of lately: a team willing to believe in him.
It’s one of those familiar NBA stories. A player torches a team, sticks in the mind, and later becomes a candidate to end up on that same roster. Knecht’s biggest NBA night came against the Jazz, and if Utah decides to bring him in, nobody would be confused about why.
In Other News...
Jazz Needed Frontcourt Help And Will Hardy Just Explained This Move
The Jazz were looking for another body in the frontcourt, and they found one in Tony Bradley after the center was waived by the Knicks. Utah claimed him off waivers this week, giving Will Hardy a familiar big man who can help absorb minutes while the team waits on Jusuf Nurkics return.
Hardy pointed to Bradleys size and basketball IQ as the appeal here, a useful combination for a roster that needed reinforcement inside. Bradley arrives on a non-guaranteed contract, so the arrangement gives Utah some flexibility while also giving the staff a chance to see whether he can provide steady depth in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]