The Lakers waived Dalton Knecht on Monday, ending the former first-round pick’s stint with the team after two seasons, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The team announced the move before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline.
It had 16 players under contract and needed to cut down to 15, the most an NBA roster can carry. The Lakers open the 2026-27 season at home against Golden State on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Los Angeles worked to move Knecht before cutting him. The Lakers tried to trade Knecht and another player for an additional big man, league sources told ESPN, but could not find a deal before the deadline.
The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported the team had engaged in multiple trade calls throughout camp, but there was “no significant trade market” for Knecht.
Bronny James, Jaden Hardy and Jarred Vanderbilt all stay on the opening-night roster. Knecht’s contract stays on the books: the Lakers picked up Knecht’s $4.2 million team option for the 2026-27 season in October 2025, per Keith Smith of Spotrac.
The Lakers took Knecht 17th overall in 2024 out of Tennessee. In November 2024 he scored 37 points with nine 3-pointers against Utah, part of a nine-game stretch in which he averaged 18.9 points.
In February 2025, the Lakers agreed to send Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, but the deal was rescinded after Williams failed his physical.
He averaged 9.1 points in 78 games as a rookie in 2024-25, then 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes across 54 games in 2025-26. Over 132 games with the Lakers, he averaged 7.1 points.
The Lakers added Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle on the wing this offseason. Coach JJ Redick said the week before the cut that roster changes had hurt Knecht’s chances: “The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed.”
The Lakers Cut Knecht Without Fixing the Center Spot
Twenty months after Knecht was a centerpiece of a deal for a starting center, the Lakers couldn’t turn him into a backup big. Picking up his option in October 2025 was a bet that his value would recover.
It didn’t, and the Lakers now carry $4.2 million in dead money with nothing coming back. Waiving him solved the roster count.
It did not solve the frontcourt need that drove the trade calls, so Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney remain the center group.
Knecht’s Waiver Window Runs Into Opening Night
Under standard league rules, Knecht is on waivers for 48 hours. Any team can claim him and his $4.2 million contract during that time; if no one does, he becomes a free agent.
The reporting gives no timeline for the Lakers’ center search beyond opening night against the Warriors.
Source: Shams Charania of ESPN
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