The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t interested in trading rookie Dalton Knecht or forward Rui Hachimura ahead of this season’s trade deadline, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
Los Angeles recently traded guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, but it appears another trade wouldn’t feature several key players on the Los Angeles roster.
“Competing executives have also told B/R that the Lakers (at least to date) have shown no interest in discussing trades that include Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht (or, obviously, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Bronny James, etc.),” Pincus wrote. “The two recently acquired players (Finney Smith and Milton) cannot be aggregated in trade before the February 6 deadline—taking Milton out of the equation.”
The Lakers could look to move players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes or even Max Christie if they look to improve their roster further ahead of the trade deadline.
It makes sense that Los Angeles would not want to move Knecht – a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft – as he could be a big part of the team’s long-term future.
This season, Knecht is averaging 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game across 35 contests. He’s shooting the ball at a solid clip as well, hitting 46.1 percent of his shots from the field and 35.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
The 23-year-old has started 12 games this season, and while he may not have a massive role for the Lakers this season, he could be a full-time starter for the team down the line if he continues to improve.
As for Hachimura, he has started all 30 games that he’s appeared in for the Lakers this season. A former lottery pick, Hachimura is averaging 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from 3.
Hachimura’s shooting from beyond the arc has been key for the Lakers’ spacing around James and Davis on offense this season.
If the Lakers aren’t willing to move on from players like Knecht or Hachimura, it may limit what they could even acquire in a potential deal at the deadline.
Through 35 games, the Lakers are 20-15 and hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. They’ll have a chance to improve upon that record on Tuesday night when they take on the Dallas Mavericks.
