Both Dalton Knecht and the Lakers took a giant kick to the chin.
asserted
Knecht → take → chin
They waived their No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft on Monday after trying to use the 25-year-old forward as trade bait but getting no bites.
asserted
They → waive → bites
This is their second first-round pick in the last few years that turned out to be fool’s gold following selecting Jalen Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 draft and then declining his third-year option and watching him slip out of the league.
asserted
him → turn → league
He went from being a promising stud who had back-to-back 27-point and 37-point performances his rookie season to slipping out of Lakers coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
asserted
who → go → rotation
His fall from grace was precipitous, leaving the forward treading water in no-man’s land with his best option at this point likely being signing a two-way contract.
asserted
option → leave → contract
So, how did we get here?
asserted
we → get → ?
The Lakers let a desperately-needed first-round draft pick evaporate into thin air.
asserted
pick → let → air
And Knecht’s career is snowballing downhill.
asserted
career → snowball → ?
Things reached a critical point in February 2025.
asserted
Things → reach → February
Shortly after the Lakers stunned the basketball world by acquiring Luka Dončić from the Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline, they sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, a future first-round pick and a pick swap to the Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams.
asserted
they → stun → Williams
But Williams failed his physical with the Lakers, who then rescinded the deal.
asserted
who → fail → deal
That meant Knecht had to tuck his tail between his legs and walk back into a locker room that had been ready to move on without him.
asserted
that → mean → him
How could his confidence not be irrevocably shaken by that?
uncertain
confidence → shake → that
Imagine your boss firing you. Then getting a call from him, saying, “Never mind.” And then having to go into the office the next day.
asserted
boss → imagine → office
After that, Knecht’s deficits became more and more glaring.
asserted
deficits → become → that
And when his shot wasn’t falling, trying to plug him into a roster that needed shooters that could create space for Doncic and Reaves became like trying to shove a square into a round hole.
uncertain
that → fall → hole
He went from averaging 9.1 points on 46.1% shooting (37.6% from deep), 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 19.2 minutes per game his rookie season, to averaging 4.2 points on 45.5% shooting (34.2% from deep), 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 10.2 minutes per game last season.
asserted
He → go → game
Things got even worse for him this preseason.
asserted
Things → get → him
With nine new players trying to prove themselves, Knecht kept free falling.
asserted
Knecht → try → themselves
In four preseason games, he averaged 2.8 points on 25% shooting from the field (3-for-12) and 14.3% from 3 (1-for-7) as well as 1.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.
asserted
he → average → game
“The team changed.
asserted
team → change → ?
The needs changed, the fit changed,” Redick said when asked about Knecht before the Lakers played the Nuggets.
asserted
Lakers → change → Nuggets
“I think he got better as a player over the last two years.
asserted
he → think → years
I think each guy has, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had.
asserted
we → think → injuries
So I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.
asserted
he → think → spot
So when the Lakers had to trim their roster from 16 players under contract to 15 on Monday, the inevitable happened.
asserted
inevitable → have → Monday
Knecht was first in line, ahead of Bronny James (the 55th pick in the 2024 draft) and Jaden Hardy, whom the Lakers acquired along with two future second-round draft picks (in 2031 and 2032) in a exchange for Deandre Ayton in July.
asserted
Lakers → acquire → July
The Lakers ultimately decided to wave the white flag, letting one of their prized first-round picks drift into the ether with absolutely nothing to show for it but $4.2 million in debt that was remaining on his deal.
asserted
that → decide → deal
It’s a shame the Lakers didn’t trade him the summer after the botched Williams trade.
asserted
Lakers → ’ → trade
It’s unfortunate they couldn’t strike a deal last season.
asserted
they → ’ → deal
And it’s unsurprising that they couldn’t get a Hail Mary before Monday.
asserted
they → ’ → Monday
And it’s a darn shame for Knecht, who just a short while ago was headed on a very different career trajectory.
asserted
who → ’ → trajectory
The Aporia
