Dalton Knecht Battles for Lakers Rotation Spot Amid Roster Crunch

Los Angeles Lakers third-year wing Dalton Knecht is fighting for a rotation spot as the team faces a roster crunch to cut down to 15 standard contracts. After averaging 18.9 points in late 2024 as a rookie, Knecht saw his playing time drop to 553 minutes across 54 games in 2025-26 following a rescinded trade attempt. Despite stiff competition from competing wings, head coach JJ Redick praised Knecht for working hard throughout the offseason.