EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers released guard Dalton Knecht on Monday to get down to the 15-man limit for the regular season, a move that leaves Bronny James as the only remaining player from the team’s 2024 draft class.
Los Angeles had spent much of the offseason carrying 16 players on standard contracts, and the two 2024 picks were widely seen as the most likely to go. Both were held out of practice Monday with illness. James had a rough preseason, going 4 of 16 from the field while the Lakers were outscored by 31 points in his 82 minutes, but the team chose to keep him over Knecht, the No. 17 overall pick.
Knecht came to Los Angeles after being named SEC Player of the Year in 2024 at Tennessee, and he looked like a find early in his rookie year, when he scored 37 points with nine 3-pointers against Utah during a nine-game run at 18.9 points a game. His role faded after the Lakers briefly dealt him to Charlotte in February 2025 in a trade for center Mark Williams that was called off after Williams failed his physical. Last season he averaged 4.2 points in about 10 minutes a game over 51 appearances and made 34.2% of his 3-point tries.
The Lakers looked for a trade partner in recent weeks but found little interest in his $4.2 million salary and had few draft picks to sweeten a deal. By waiving him, the team absorbs his guaranteed salary for this season, while his $6.45 million team option for 2027-28 is voided. Knecht, 25, is set to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday and could sign a two-way deal elsewhere.
James, now 22, has played 69 games across two seasons and averaged 2.7 points. He begins his third year without his father, the league’s all-time leading scorer, who signed with Philadelphia this offseason. The Lakers open at home against Golden State on Wednesday night.
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