Lakers dangling ex-Vol Dalton Knecht in trade talks, won't get first-round pick after value tanks at Summer League

Yahoo

5 days ago

The Los Angeles Lakers are finding no luck on the trade market as it pertains to former Tennessee Volunteers star Dalton Knecht.
Lakers reporter Jovan Buha claims that league sources on the ground at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas told him that Knecht is no longer considered worthy of a first-round pick in a potential swap.
'Summer League has not helped Knecht's stock, and I don't think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation. That was what I heard in Vegas from talking to multiple people, non-Lakers people, just gauging what would you give for Dalton Knecht? Or if the Lakers are putting Dalton Knecht in a trade, what is he worth? And the feedback I got was, no longer worth a first-round valuation,' Buha said.
Knecht was packaged with Cam Reddish, a 2031 Lakers unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap in a rescinded trade for Mark Williams with the Charlotte Hornets. His value didn't fall from that deal, though.
Knecht's value tanked during Summer League play.
The Athletic's Tony Jones proclaimed Knecht plays 'so selfishly' and that 'nothing else matters' on the floor when he's looking for his shot.
Only around 31,000 people saw that tweet. Still, the damage is clearly done. Knecht destroyed the goodwill he entered the league with after a brilliant career on Rocky Top.
No longer is he the kind of threat you feed the ball to and let go to work. Even alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James, Knecht couldn't even be someone worth trusting along the perimeter. While he had a promising March, he put up 5.1 points in 13.6 minutes per game the first month after Doncic's arrival and 2.5 points in garbage time minutes during two playoff games.