NBA Trade Idea Sends Los Angeles Lakers' Dalton Knecht to Indiana Pacers

A trade idea sending Dalton Knecht from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Indiana Pacers has been created. 

Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star proposed the following trade between the Lakers and Pacers:

Pacers receive: Dalton Knecht

Lakers receive: Ben Sheppard and a future second-round pick  

The Lakers are open to trading Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Los Angeles actually traded Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams during the 2024-25 season, but the Lakers rescinded the deal after Williams didn't pass his physical. 

Knecht hasn't been the same since the Lakers-Hornets trade failed. The guard desperately needs a change of scenery. 

“Their best options in that case are players on rookie-scale contracts who are unlikely to receive contract extensions from the teams that drafted them,” Dopirak wrote. “The Lakers’ Dalton Knecht fits that mold. He won’t be extension eligible for another year, but he fell out of the Lakers’ rotation almost entirely from mid-January on and played just 18 total minutes in the playoffs.”

Knecht is a career 36.8% shooter from 3. The more shooters around Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, the better Indiana's offense will be. 

The 25-year-old Knecht will make $4,201,080 next season. He holds career averages of 7.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

During his rookie season, Knecht scored 37 points against the Utah Jazz and made nine shots from beyond the arc. His confidence hasn't been the same since the Lakers-Hornets trade fell through. 

Indiana plays fast and shoots a lot of 3s. Knecht projects to be a good fit in Rick Carlisle's offense. It would be quite the story to see Knecht rejuvenate his career with the Pacers, who will make the playoffs next season since Haliburton will play. 

Without Haliburton, the Pacers struggled immensely this season. They won only 19 games. However, Siakam played well. The former Toronto Raptors wing averaged 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game and made his fourth All-Star team.

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