Lakers waive Dalton Knecht to finalize 15-player opening-night roster

The Los Angeles Lakers waived Dalton Knecht on October 19, 2026, in Los Angeles to bring their opening-night roster down to 15 players, according to Southern California News Group. The decision ends the former first-round pick’s time with the team, although the Lakers remain responsible for his $4.2 million salary for 2026-27.

Why the Lakers waived Knecht

A league source familiar with the decision told Southern California News Group that the Lakers needed to remove one player from their active roster. They chose to waive Knecht rather than arrange a two-for-one trade that would have brought them to 15 fully guaranteed contracts. The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the decision.

Knecht’s changing role in Los Angeles

Knecht, 25, was the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. His early performances suggested a larger role: over his first 19 NBA games in 2024-25, he averaged 12.2 points and made 43.9% of his three-point attempts, according to NBC Sports. He had already started seven games during that stretch.

That production did not last. NBC Sports reported that Knecht averaged 8.4 points after the 2025 All-Star break as his minutes fell. In 54 games last season, he averaged 4.2 points and shot 34.2% from three-point range. SCNG reported that his playing time dropped by nearly 10 minutes per game in his second season and that he did not recover a regular role, even as injuries affected the Lakers late in the regular season.

At preseason media day, Knecht told reporters his confidence had not wavered despite inconsistent playing time. ‘My confidence will never drop, no matter what the situation is,’ he said, according to SCNG. Redick said on October 3 that he had spent time with Knecht during the offseason discussing the mental side of basketball and his shooting technique. The waiver followed those efforts as Los Angeles settled its opening-night roster.