The Nix are among the teams interested in the free agent wing Dalton Knechtper Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who notes that the former first-round pick is still eligible for a two-way contract (Link to Twitter).
Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line reported earlier that Sacramento, Minnesota and Toronto were believed to be considering Knecht as a possible two-way destination. Each of those three teams has two sides, but that’s not the case for the Knicks, who have Kevin McCallor Jr, Tyler Nickell and Jayden Akins on bilateral transactions.
Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, averaged 9.8 points and 2.8 rebounds on .461/.376/.762 shooting in 78 games (19.2 minutes per game) as a rookie with the Lakers in 2024/25, but his playing time and output are significant cut last season, second in the league. In 54 contests, he averaged 4.2 mpg and 1.4 mpg in just 10.2 mpg, shooting .455/.342/.727.
The Lakers waived Knecht on Monday. Los Angeles faced a roster shortage and decided to hold onto Knecht’s $4.2 million salary as the cap hit after the front office failed to find a suitable trade involving the 25-year-old power forward.
If the Knicks sign Knecht to a two-way contract, I’d be very surprised if Nickell was the odd man out considering he was just selected 47th overall in June’s draft.
