When the Los Angeles Lakers approached the 2024 NBA Draft, they did so with the goal of improving the shooting around LeBron James. Once the 17th pick had arrived, the Lakers settled on Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht in the first round.
The Lakers can’t be too disappointed about their results after Knecht’s first season, where he started 16 games and appeared in 78 out of 82 contests. Knecht averaged 9.1 points per game on a time limit of 19.2 minutes per game, but the Lakers have higher expectations as the 24-year-old enters his second NBA season.
However, the Lakers sent Knecht to the Vegas Summer League to get a bit more experience against players in similar age groups. Unfortunately, Knecht didn’t stand out enough to generate any extra confidence as he heads into Year 2.
In fact, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, if the Lakers were shopping Knecht on the trade block, well, his value has taken a significant hit since Summer League. While he may have previously been worth a first-round pick, that is no longer the case.
“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.”
The Athletic on Dalton Knecht
For the record, Knecht only played in three summer league games. He averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. While those numbers could certainly be higher, especially against summer league competition, it was his shooting that drew concerning red flags.
Known as a sharpshooter, Knecht only sank 27.9% of his shots from the field and 23.8% from 3-point range. Thus, if the Lakers hope to shop Knecht and get strong value in return, he’ll have to first show that he can be a consistent shooter again. But next time he takes the floor, it will be against stiffer competition, which means he’ll need to bring his ‘A’ game.
