Dalton Knecht Called the Lakers’ ‘Odd Man Out’: Why Rival Executives Expect a Cut

The Lakers have 16 players on standard contracts and the league allows 15. Rival executives have already picked who they think goes.

According to the New York Post, multiple front offices around the NBA expect Dalton Knecht to be the odd man out. The direct quote: “Not a good sign for Dalton Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15.”

Nobody inside the Lakers has said this. Treat it as what it is, which is a rumor sourced to executives on other teams.

The Numbers Explain the Rumor

Knecht was the 17th overall pick in 2024 and had a reasonable rookie season: 9.1 points per game on 37.6 percent from three.

Year two collapsed. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds on 34.2 percent from three across 54 games, playing 10.2 minutes a night. JJ Redick benched him regularly and sent him down to the South Bay Lakers.

A shooter who stops making threes has no other argument to make. That is the whole job description.

The Wing Rotation Is Crowded

Los Angeles has stacked up options on the perimeter: Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Jake LaRavia all occupy some version of the role Knecht would compete for. Reporting on the exact roster composition varies between outlets.

None of those players is a star. All of them are ahead of a player who shot 34 percent from three in limited minutes.

A Trade Makes More Sense Than a Release

Here is where the “cut” framing is probably wrong. Knecht is a former first-round pick on a rookie-scale deal, which is a useful thing to own. Reporting suggests the Lakers are more likely to trade him for draft compensation or fold him into a larger deal than simply release him.

Teams do not waive 17th overall picks who are two years removed from shooting 38 percent from deep. They attach them to salary in February.

What Los Angeles Is Actually Managing

This is the Luka Doncic era now, and the Lakers are building a supporting cast around him. Roster spots are currency, and the 15th one goes to whoever helps a team trying to win immediately.

Knecht does not fit that in October. He might in January, on another team, with minutes available.

What Has Not Been Established

There is no official Lakers statement, no confirmed cut, and no publicly reported deadline date for the decision. Knecht’s contract details have not been detailed in the reporting.

The only firm fact is the arithmetic. Sixteen into fifteen does not go, and the player with the worst season on the roster is the one the rest of the league expects to pay for it.