After an impressive regular season, the Los Anegeles Lakers’ season came to en end last night as the Minnesota Timberwolves sent them home packing in the first round of the playoffs. The duo of Luke Doncic and LeBron James was not enough to carry the franchise to another championship, but now they will search for moves to get them right back into the running.
One move that is being floated around already will likely cost them rookie Dalton Knecht.
Knecht was involved in a major trade this season in which the Lakers traded him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams after the Lakers had acquired Luka. The trade wound up falling through due to issues with Williams’ physical. So Knecht stayed in LA. His time there might be short-lived, though, according to Clutch Sports’ Spencer See.
“However, despite repeated interest from both sides, a deal simply never materialized. Nonetheless, both DeRozan and the Lakers can finally make it happen in the offseason. Although to make it happen, the Purple and Gold would probably need to sacrifice two key rotational pieces to entice the Kings in the form of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht.
Knecht played a total of four minutes during the first round of the playoffs. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season while also shooting 46.1 percent from the field. His minutes played fluctuated throughout the season.
It will be interesting to follow this offseason to see if the Lakers try and move Knecht a second time after just one year in the league, but it’s clear the organization wants to do everything they can to get LeBron James one more ring.
