Lakers Proposed to Land Bruising Center in Dalton Knecht Trade
· Yahoo Sports
With less than two weeks left for training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly actively shopping Dalton Knecht.
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Amid the reports, one intriguing Lakers trade idea doing the rounds would help JJ Redick’s team make a key addition to their center rotation.
Lakers Trade Idea Lands Goga Bitadze
Lakers would receive: Goga Bitadze
Magic would receive: Dalton Knecht
The clean 1-on-1 transaction sees the Lakers take on Bitadze’s expiring $7.6M salary. Similarly, the Magic will have the option of waiving Knecht in a year if he doesn’t prove to be a good fit next to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane.
Why the Lakers Do It
The Lakers need insurance at the five spot, given the recent injury history of Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, who combined to play a grand total of 26 games last year.
Bitadze is not going to set the world on fire, but he’s a fundamentally-sound big known for excellent screens and physical interior presence. He’s also a solid rim protector who boasts a great block rate for the minutes he plays, tallying 2.6 blocks PER36 in his 7-year NBA career. Last season, he averaged 1.0 block and 5.0 rebounds in just 15.2 minutes per game for former Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley.
He hasn’t shown the ability to switch out to perimeter players, but he excels in drop coverage and can anchor the second-unit defense for the Lakers alongside Looney. He’s is also a very efficient scorer, shooting a career high 67.6% from the field last year.
The Lakers really have everything to gain by swapping Knecht, a disgruntled asset, for a motivated Bitadze playing in a contract year. Most importantly, the bruising big man fills an obvious roster need for a Lakers team thin at the center spot.
Lakers Eyeing Dalton Knecht Trade
The Lakers have some big decisions to make in the coming few weeks as they finalize their roster for the 2026-27 season. With 16 players under contract, they can either waive a player or make a trade or two. They reportedly prefer the latter option, with Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt at the top of their list.
“I do think that the Lakers are still going to be looking at potentially trading Dalton [Knecht], Jarred Vanderbilt,” insider Jake Fischer reported this past weekend.
“I think there’s plenty of time here before they have to make a decision. They do, I believe, still want to make some type of trade upgrade at the wing/forward spot after missing out on Jonathan Kuminga.
“I do think the Lakers are incomplete right now moving forward.”
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