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Former first-round pick Dalton Knecht lands with defending champion Knicks on two-way deal after falling out of favor in Los Angeles
The New York Knicks signed Dalton Knecht to a two-way contract on Friday, less than a week after the Los Angeles Lakers waived the former Tennessee guard. The move gives the defending NBA champions a sharpshooter who struggled to stick in LA but offers another wing option with upside to rotate through the G League affiliate.
Why the Lakers let Knecht slip away
Knecht was the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but his time in Los Angeles proved frustrating. Over two seasons with the Lakers, he appeared in 132 games while averaging just 7.1 points per game, though he showed more promise as a rookie with 16 starts and over nine points per contest. He shot 36.8 percent from three during his Lakers tenure, suggesting offensive potential that never fully translated to consistent playing time.
The deterioration was steep enough that Los Angeles attempted to move him earlier—the team had a trade in place with Charlotte, but the deal fell through after Hornets center Mark Williams failed his physical. By the time the Lakers faced their final roster cutdown before the season, they chose to keep Bronny James in the last roster spot instead, sending Knecht to waivers. No team claimed him, opening the door for New York.
The case for optimism in New York
Knecht’s college tape at Tennessee offers a reminder of his baseline skill set. As a fifth-year senior transfer from Northern Colorado, he averaged 21.7 points per game while shooting over 39 percent from three, carrying the Volunteers through several tournament games on his own. That offensive punch—the kind that projects to elite spacing in the right system—never arrived in Los Angeles, but two-way slots exist precisely for players in Knecht’s position: talented but blocked, in need of a reset.
New York reportedly faced competition from the Minnesota Timberwolves before securing Knecht, signaling that his profile still held league-wide appeal despite his Lakers disappointment. For the Knicks, the arrangement is low-risk; the two-way contract allows Knecht to develop with the G League affiliate while staying eligible for full roster promotion if injuries or performance demand it.
What Knecht’s signing reveals about the 2024 draft class
Knecht’s path from lottery pick to two-way contract in just over two years highlights how brutal the draft-to-NBA adjustment can be—especially for wings who lack the athleticism to survive on defense or the creation skills to overcome offensive limitations. At 17 overall, Knecht represented a bet on scoring and spacing. When the Lakers couldn’t find a role that leveraged those tools, he had few options to prove value elsewhere. The Knicks, by contrast, have structured their roster around supplementary shooting and depth; Knecht fits that mold without demanding immediate rotation minutes.
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