After reporting showing that the former first-round pick Dalton Knecht can be a strange person like Lakers deal with the preseason squad, Giovan Buha (Link to video on Twitter) noted on Wednesday that the head coach Jay Jay Reddick hasn’t outlined what role he sees for the third-year power forward so far in training camp.
“Dalton Knecht is a name JJ Redick hasn’t invented yet” Buha said, summing up the second day of Lakers camp. “JJ was just discussing Bronnie James and Jaden Hardy helps run the offense during the regular season when Luka (Doncic) and Austin (Reeves) falter in attack. Every player on the roster was mentioned except for Dalton. His potential role in the rotation was not discussed. It might not mean anything, but I think it’s noticeable.”
The Lakers have 16 players under guaranteed contracts, so one of those 16 will have to be waived to establish a 15-man roster for the regular season unless the team makes a trade before opening night.
The 17th pick in the 2024 draft, Knecht showed some promise as a rookie, but played a reduced role in 2025/26, averaging 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game and making 34.2% of his three-point attempts over 54 games. He will make an estimated $4.2 million this season; if they keep him, the Lakers will have until Nov. 2 to decide whether to exercise his $6.45M option for 2027/28.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The Lakers hired Pooh Jeter as the new director of pro scouting, according to Mark J. Spears of Andscape (Link to Twitter). Jeter, a Los Angeles native, played professionally from 2006-23, including one NBA season with Sacramento in 2010-11. He spent the last three years as a player development coach in Portland and was announced last month in the composition Mika Norifor the 2026/27 season, but he has apparently decided to leave the Trail Blazers for a new job in Los Angeles
- After Walker Kessler predicted this week that the Lakers will be a “nasty defensive team,” Reeves singled out the rookies Mathis Tiboule and Ziair Williams as two players to help make it as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times relay. “Let me tell you, trying to score on Mathis and Ziaire, especially with Adu (Thierra) there too, and then Walker on the back line, not easy, ” Reeves said Wednesday. “I had to deal with that all day yesterday and today, and it’s not fun. So defensively, we’re going to be a lot better. Those guys compete every possession, and then everybody else, you know, playing their roles and playing the right way. So, yeah, I can see how special we can be.”
- U column for The Orange County RegisterJim Alexander writes that the head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka is heavily involved in the Lakers’ roster rebuild this offseason and could find himself on the hot seat if the new-look group doesn’t perform as hoped this season.
