The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly picked up the rookie-scale team option in wing Dalton Knecht’s contract for the 2026-27 season.
According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Lakers will pay Knecht $4.2 million in 2026-27 as a result.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin also reported the news:
The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft after he was named SEC Player of the Year during his only season at Tennessee.
As a rookie last season, Knecht appeared in 78 games, starting 16 of them. He averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers made in 19.2 minutes per contest, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Knecht had one of the more unique rookie years in recent memory due to the fact that he was nearly traded, only to ultimately remain with the Lakers.
Prior to the NBA trade deadline, the Lakers had agreed to a deal that would have sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Mark Williams.
However, the trade was rescinded after Williams failed a physical, per ESPN’s Shams Charania (h/t ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
Since the trade was rescinded after the deadline had already passed, the deal could not be reworked, resulting in Knecht staying with the Lakers.
The Lakers addressed their center issues during the offseason by signing Deandre Ayton in free agency, which allowed L.A. to improve without having to part ways with a promising, young player like Knecht.
While Knecht was primarily a bench piece last season, he had seven 20-point games on the year, including a career-high 37 last November against the Utah Jazz.
That suggests he is capable of taking games over offensively when his shooting gets hot, making him arguably the most important bench player on the team this season.
With LeBron James set to miss at least the first couple of weeks of the 2025-26 regular season due to sciatica, the Lakers will need other players to step up offensively.
Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Ayton will undoubtedly carry a greater burden with James on the shelf, but that could be true of Knecht as well.
The Lakers open their regular-season schedule on Tuesday night when they host the Golden State Warriors.
