Dalton Knecht Rumors

Saturday, if there was any hostility between the organization and James, it never showed up in any obvious ways. He arrived with his wife, Savannah, daughter, Zhuri, and a group of his closest friends. James arrived in Las Vegas on Saturday morning after attending a Bad Bunny concert in Puerto Rico on Friday night. James sat near Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean for most of the third quarter. Earlier, he spoke with other members of the coaching staff in attendance, a group that included assistants Nate McMillan and Bob Beyer, and teammate Dalton Knecht, who didn’t dress after playing in four games with the summer league team over the past four weeks.

New York Times

Dave McMenamin: Dalton Knecht will not play tonight against the Pelicans, per the team. Although he had a calf cramp late in the Dallas game, this decision was based on general rest for Knecht after he also competed in the California Classic, not out of concern for the calf

Twitter

Dave McMenamin: Dalton Knecht was disappointed to hear about Dorian Finney-Smith signing with the Rockets, but looks forward to welcoming Jake LaRavia to Los Angeles. “Losing Doe sucks”

Twitter

Knecht will play for the Lakers’ summer league team for the second consecutive season on a squad that’s expected to feature fellow 2024 draftee Bronny James, 2025 second-round pick Adou Thiero and former Villanova star Eric Dixon, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent. “Just showing what I can do,” Knecht said of summer league. “Feel like I kind of showed a little bit throughout my rookie year, but just keep building on top of that.”

Orange County Register

The only mechanism the Lakers are projected to have in free agency is the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth $5.7 million, because LeBron James is expected to pick up the final year of his contract for $52.6 million, sources told ESPN. On the trade market, Dalton Knecht and the Lakers' 2031 first-rounder will continue to be positive assets the Lakers can include in offers, as well as the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) as Pelinka searches for a center. Pelinka indicated that Reaves would not be traded when asked about the team's core after the season.

ESPN

Lakers fans hoping to see more of the King and Knecht might get their wish ... 'cause Dalton Knecht tells TMZ Sports he and LeBron James could absolutely "run it" in L.A. for another half-decade plus. Knecht, of course, was almost dealt to Charlotte in a trade last season ... but when we got him out at LAX on Friday, he told us despite the near move, he definitely wants to remain in the purple and gold. And, he said he can see a scenario where he does that for several more seasons with James. "He said he can play another 5, 10 years," Knecht said of his Hall of Fame-bound teammate. "So, me and 'Bron could run it for another five, 10 years. Why not?!"

TMZ.com

However, acquiring the 23-year-old center appears to be a significant challenge, primarily due to the LA Lakers' limited trade assets and the Jazz's high asking price. "I think the issue with Walker Kessler and with Utah in general is their asking prices tend to be higher, and I think trading for Lauri [Markkanen] or Walker is going to be a high price," The Athletic's Jovan Buha noted on his latest Q&A session. The beat writer then confirmed that LA targeted Kessler last year. "Going back to last season, I reported that the Lakers had had interest in Walker previously, and they had inquired about him to the Jazz, and the feedback they got was the starting price, not the final price. The starting price was the equivalent of two+ first-round picks," Buha explained. According to the reporter, a package centered around Dalton Knecht and a single first-round pick would likely not be enough to entice Utah.

BasketNews

Now, with the NBA Draft less than a month away, sources say Pelinka has held conversations with several teams, often floating some iteration of the trade package that would've landed Williams, in order to gather as much information as he can for when moves can actually be made. “The problem Rob is running into is that, anyone who has a big who can walk and chew gum is going to start talks with Dalton (Knecht) and a first, then go up from there if their center can actually play,” an Eastern Conference executive said.

Clutch Points

According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers best’ assets (minus Reaves) are their 2031 first-round pick, second year wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expiring contracts. Some combination of them would be a must in any deal the team would make for a center. The free-agency options, like the in-season trade options, are considered to be pretty lean. Indiana center Myles Turner is set to be a free agent, but he was already out of the Lakers’ price range before the Pacers’ current run to the Eastern Conference finals. Brook Lopez is 37 and already had a one-year stint with the Lakers before leaving to play his best basketball elsewhere. Clint Capela could be an option depending on how the market reacts, but there are questions around the league about whether he’s still a full-time starter.

Los Angeles Times

Any Jokić trade would be complicated, with bidders needing to send between $44 million and $55.2 million in outgoing salary (the former would trigger a first-apron hard cap, the latter likely at the second-apron in most cases). For instance, the Los Angeles Lakers could manage enough outgoing salary with players like Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. That's an overwhelming top five with LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dončić and Jokić, but the rest of the roster would mostly need to be players at that minimum (unless James chooses to opt out and re-sign at a discount to help add depth).

Bleacher Report

Jovan Buha: JJ Redick said the Lakers haven’t lost faith in Dalton Knecht despite his decreased role recently and said Knecht will play tonight vs. New Orleans.

x.com

Daniel Starkand: Dalton Knecht said he won a bet with AD and Vando when Tennessee beat Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. He also said AD hasn't been responding to his messages lol

x.com

Doncic finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. And while he cooled off significantly after the first quarter, his presence again allowed the Lakers (43-25) to take and make wide-open threes all game. Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht combined to make 10 threes on 17 attempts. “Sometimes teams send three guys at him. It’s just amazing that he finds the open man time and time again,” Vincent said of Doncic. “He makes the game so easy for us, you know, whether he’s getting to the free-throw line himself or walking to the rim or making a tough shot when we need one or finding the open guy over and over again. ... He makes the right read every time and that’s something that’s invaluable.”

Los Angeles Times

Dave McMenamin: Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent are all available against the Suns today, per the Lakers. Dalton Knecht remains probable.

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