Dalton Knecht reportedly demands trade from Los Angeles Lakers
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Dalton Knecht, who starred at Tennessee for 1 season before the Los Angeles Lakers made him the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is apparently fed up and wants out of Los Angeles.
According to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin, the 24-year-old North Dakota native who’s in his 2nd season with the team has officially demanded a trade.
“I’m told Dalton Knecht approached the Lakers front office recently and has asked to be traded. It’s expected they’ll grant his wish,” reported Irwin on Wednesday afternoon.
Knecht, who made such a splash during his 1 season in the SEC that he was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2024, was seemingly headed for a long marriage with the illustrious Lakers despite falling to the 17th overall pick.
But the Consensus First-Team All-American during that special 2023-24 season in Knoxville hasn’t been the same since the Lakers had finalized a trade involving Knecht during last year’s trade deadline. The deal would’ve sent Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Mark Williams. But after a few days, the trade was rescinded, which put Knecht in a very awkward place.
Almost a year later, he’s now apparently in a very bad place, and now it’s gotten so bad that he reportedly wants out of Los Angeles.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
