The Milwaukee Bucks have not been receptive to the Lakers’ approach for center Jericho Sims for just a single second-round pick, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported Saturday. Siegel also reported that Los Angeles is still exploring “if they can do a 2-for-1 trade to add another center.” No agreement has been reported.
Earlier in the week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that “the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would ship former first-round selection Dalton Knecht to Milwaukee (along with second-round draft capital) in exchange for big man Jericho Sims.” Fischer added that he had heard “some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.”
In a separate report Saturday, Siegel said the Lakers have continued making recent trade calls in attempts to move Knecht instead of outright waiving him, with LA having communication with the Bucks, Bulls, and Jazz, among others. His reporting does not name a proposed return from Chicago or Utah. Siegel also offered his own prediction, separate from his reporting, that he would “personally lean in the direction of no trade happening.”
Knecht, the 17th overall pick in 2024, has been on the Lakers’ roster since his rookie season, when Los Angeles agreed to send him to Charlotte in the Mark Williams trade in February 2025, only for the deal to be rescinded after Williams failed his physical. On Sept. 24, Rob Pelinka acknowledged the team had 16 players for 15 opening-night spots and said 2-for-1 consolidation trades remained an option. The Lakers waived Rafael Castro and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones on Saturday, both on Exhibit 10 deals that left the standard-contract count at 16.
The Center Search Is Making the Roster Cut Harder
The Lakers are trying to clear a roster spot and add a center in the same trade, and each goal makes the other harder. A straight Knecht-for-Sims swap would leave them at 16 players, so any version that brings Sims back needs a second outgoing player. Milwaukee already wants more than one second-round pick, so the price keeps rising while the Lakers still lack a clean framework.
Waiving Knecht would fix the roster count by itself, but it would leave his guaranteed salary on the books and do nothing about the backup center spot. The center is the harder problem, and the one more likely to still be open on opening night.
Rosters Are Due Monday Afternoon
The Lakers have until Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. Pacific to reach 15 standard contracts. If they don’t make a trade by then, they will have to waive a player, and Knecht is viewed as the most likely candidate to be traded or cut.
Source: Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints
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