History tends to repeat itself quite often. In the case of Dalton Knecht, it would be shocking if it doesn't.
Every Los Angeles Lakers fans should be well aware of the fact that Knecht was nearly in another team's jersey before the end of his rookie season. Mark Williams was going to be the new starting center in Los Angeles before a failed physical gave the Lakers cold feet.
That trade got rescinded, but the expectation for the Lakers this offseason will be to acquire a center once more. With that goal in sight, Lakers insider Dan Woike mentioned a while back that there will be familiarity with what that future trade package looks like.
"According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers best’ assets (minus [Austin] Reaves) are their 2031 first-round pick, second year wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expiring contracts," Woike wrote. "Some combination of them would be a must in any deal the team would make for a center."
With Rob Pelinka needing to patch up some major holes to build a contender around Luka Doncic and LeBron James, tough decisions will need to be made. For Knecht, that will likely mean needing to prove elsewhere that the Lakers got it wrong by trading him away.
Knecht's promising upside not enough to keep him in Los Angeles
The Lakers rookie had a promising first season in the NBA. Knecht averaged 9.1 points per game off the bench, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Upon rejoining the Lakers after the Williams trade fell apart, Knecht shot 40.8 percent from 3-point land with his new superstar teammate for the rest of the 2024-25 regular season. That right there highlights the biggest point of upside for the sharpshooter playing next to Doncic.
The Lakers superstar point guard has always been adept at creating easy, open looks from distance for his teammates. Knecht is a player who would be well-suited to punish defenders for giving him those looks.
In almost any other circumstance, this would make him a player that an organization would try to keep around. Unfortunately for the asset-deprived Lakers, they won't have much choice in the matter.
Having shooting around Doncic and James is certainly a big-time lift in the rotation. However, not having a long-term solution at the center position is an approach that is certain to lead to disaster in Los Angeles.
There are certainly some budget-friendly options to consider, but something sustainable is a necessity. There are few ways for the Lakers to address that necessity without doing it at the expense of their 3-point marksman.
