Dalton Knecht put on a show for Los Angeles Lakers fans this past season. He was one of the most exciting rookies in the NBA, and he’s obviously got a future in this league as a multi-talented scorer. With that being said, it’s still very likely he’s not on this Lakers roster for long.
Why do I say this? In part, because of the way the Lakers were quick to turn him over to the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline in February, before the deal for Mark Williams was ultimately nixed. But in the big picture, it’s bigger than that.
Initially agreeing to trade Knecht to Charlotte wasn’t about Los Angeles not believing in him as a player in this league in the long term. What it was really about was them needing a more long-term solution at the center position. And in case you hadn’t noticed, those concerns haven’t exactly been quelled.
If you watched LA’s first round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, you saw that they were repeatedly burned by a lack of interior size. As it turns out, trading away Anthony Davis has its consequences.
Despite his best efforts, Jaxson Hayes simply wasn’t playable for much of the series against the Wolves. The Lakers still need a more reliable big man that can make Luka Doncic’s life easier moving forward. Their roster as constructed right now is simply too much on the small side to compete for a championship.
We know that Doncic thrives most when he’s got a big man who’s a lob threat operating on the interior. That’s what he had in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively in Dallas, and it’s the exact prototype of player the Lakers tried to bring in with Mark Williams.
Given that Williams is still wearing purple and teal in Charlotte, it’s certainly reasonable to think that the Lakers will try to find a player like him either this summer or next season. When they do, Dalton Knecht is likely going to be the young player LA uses to entice another team to make the trade.
Think about it. The Lakers only have one first round pick that they can include in any potential negotiations with other teams. Ultimately, that leaves them needing to include either another rotational player, or an intriguing young talent like Knecht that will help to get the deal done.
Pretty much all the Lakers’ other players that are actively in the rotation are going to be too important to a potential championship run. That leaves Dalton Knecht as an obvious piece to be used for trade fodder in the future.
