Lakers Make Decision on Former First Round Pick
Across the NBA today, teams have been making tough decisions by cutting their rosters to 15 players by 2 PM PST. With the Lakers having 16 players on the roster, they had to make a tough choice on who to cut from the roster. For anyone who’s been watching or following the team, who they selected to release should come as no surprise.
The Los Angeles Lakers chose to part ways with former first-round pick Dalton Knecht.
The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving 2024 No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/SaeDxdSBUo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026
Dalton Knecht entered the league with high expectations. Being picked at 17th overall, the consensus was that the Lakers got an absolute steal. This seemed to change in the blink of an eye.
During Knecht’s rookie season, he was included in a trade package for Mark Williams that eventually fell through. From that point on, it seemed as though the sharpshooting rookie was never the same. He couldn’t mentally overcome that hurdle and has been in clear need of a reset elsewhere for some time now.
He gave Lakers fans some fun moments, including a 37-point performance against the Utah Jazz. Even though it didn’t work out in Los Angeles, Lakers fans will be rooting for him wherever he ends up.
