The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving Dalton Knecht after their efforts to trade the former first-round pick failed to produce a deal before Monday’s roster deadline.
BREAKING: The Lakers are waiving Dalton Knecht, per @ShamsCharania
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) October 19, 2026
This ends Knecht’s time with the team that selected him No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The move gets Los Angeles down to 15 standard contracts, but the Lakers are parting with Knecht without acquiring the additional big man they had pursued.
The Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies all sought trades to address their roster crunches but could not reach acceptable agreements. All three ultimately waived players before the deadline.
For Los Angeles, that leaves two consequences beyond Knecht’s departure: His salary remains on the books for this season, and the search for a trade did not change the team’s center options.
Lakers’ Dalton Knecht trade search ends without a return
The Lakers had explored a way to reduce their roster while bringing in frontcourt help.
As Lakers Daily previously covered, Los Angeles had approached Milwaukee about Jericho Sims, but the Bucks had not been receptive to the draft compensation described. Also, the Lakers were examining two-for-one trades to add a center.
Those discussions offered a potential way to accomplish both goals in one transaction. A two-for-one deal would have reduced the number of players on the roster while giving the Lakers someone in return; waiving Knecht accomplishes only the roster reduction.
The Lakers still have Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney among their frontcourt options.
Monday’s outcome does not establish that Los Angeles has abandoned pursuing another big man. It does mean that any such addition will have to come through a separate move, with the standard roster now at 15.
Dalton Knecht still carries a $4.2 million cap hit
Knecht has a $4.2 million cap hit for this season, with no salary obligation for the following season.
Roster down to 15 guaranteed contracts.
Knecht has a $4.2M cap hit
No salary obligation for next season. https://t.co/qZ5Pojgjnm
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 19, 2026
That means the waiver should not be treated as an immediate $4.2 million reduction in the Lakers’ team salary. Knecht’s 2026-27 salary is listed at $4,201,080.
The roster decision also leaves Bronny James and Jaden Hardy on the team.
Knecht’s departure closes the question of which player Los Angeles would remove to reach the roster limit. The attempted trade upgrade is a different matter: The Lakers met Monday’s deadline without securing it.
