The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks have held exploratory talks on a trade that would send Dalton Knecht and second-round draft capital to Milwaukee for center Jericho Sims, Jake Fischer reported for The Stein Line on Thursday, Oct. 15. Fischer also wrote that he had “heard some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.” No deal has been reached.
The Lakers have 16 players on standard contracts and must get down to 15 by Monday, Oct. 19. Fischer reported that if no trade comes together before that deadline, the Lakers may have to waive Knecht. He is guaranteed $4.2 million this season, which the Lakers would absorb in a release.
Los Angeles took Knecht 17th overall in the 2024 draft. He averaged 9.1 points in 19.2 minutes as a rookie, then 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes over 54 games in 2025-26.
Sims, 27, is in the second year of a two-year, $5.3 million contract. In 2025-26 he averaged 5.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 19.7 minutes over 67 games, shooting 78.4% from the field.
He sits third on Milwaukee’s center depth chart behind Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware. The Athletic’s Dan Woike previously reported Sims was among centers the Lakers could pursue for depth behind Walker Kessler.
Milwaukee is dealing with its own roster crunch. Fischer reported that the Bucks have also weighed deals involving Caris LeVert and Kevin Porter Jr. as they look for ways to get under the limit without simply releasing players.
The Deal Would Cost a Pick Without Fixing the Roster Count
The framework does not solve the problem the Lakers are under deadline to fix. A one-for-one swap leaves them at 16 standard contracts, so they would still need another trade or a waiver, and they would be giving up second-round capital on top of it.
What the Lakers would actually be buying is a third center. Sims is a reasonable fit behind Kessler, but the price is a pick plus a separate cut. Waiving Knecht would cost $4.2 million in dead money and no draft capital.
With sources already pessimistic, that cheaper option looks like the more likely outcome. The Sims talks show how much the Lakers would pay to get something back for a former first-round pick instead.
The Roster Must Reach 15 by Monday
Los Angeles has until Monday, Oct. 19, to trim to 15 standard contracts, whether by trading Knecht, packaging players, or waiving someone. Any Sims deal would have to come together by then, along with a second move to get under the limit.
Source: Jake Fischer of The Stein Line
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