Lakers release former first-round pick Dalton Knecht

The Los Angeles Lakers waived former first-round pick Dalton Knecht on Monday to reach the NBA roster limit of 15 players ahead of the 5 p.m. ET deadline.

Knecht, a forward, averaged 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes across 54 games (one start) last season.

The previous season, Knecht averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 78 games (16 starts) as a rookie and looked like a promising rotation player.

During the 2026 preseason, Knecht averaged 2.8 points and shot 25% (3 of 12) from the field. The 25-year-old scored 11 points in 22 minutes against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 6 and was scoreless in each of his other three appearances.

The 6-foot-6 Knecht was the 17th overall selection of the 2024 NBA Draft after being the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and a consensus first- team All-American at Tennessee. That was his lone season with the Volunteers. He spent the previous two seasons at Northern Colorado after playing two seasons at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado.

The move to release Knecht means that Bronny James and Jaden Hardy will make the Lakers’ opening-night roster.