NBA
Dalton Knecht had his 2026-27 team option exercised by the Los Angeles Lakers
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated1 hour ago on October 21, 2025
Tonight, the Lakers will host the Warriors at 10:00 p.m. EST. It will be the second of two matchups on the opening night of the 2025-26 season.
In their matchup vs. Steph Curry and the Warriors, the Lakers will be without 21-time all-star LeBron James. He’s not expected to return until mid-November. Recently, NBA insider Keith Pompey reported that the Los Angeles Lakers have exercised Dalton Knecht’s 2026-27 team option. That would be the third season of his rookie-scale contract.
Dalton Knecht is the only Laker on the 2025-26 roster with a rookie-scale contract
The Los Angeles Lakers have picked up the 2026-27 rookie scale team option for Dalton Knecht, a league source told @spotrac.
Knecht will be on the Lakers books at $4.2M for next season.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 21, 2025
With the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Lakers selected Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee. During his rookie campaign, Knecht was traded by Los Angeles to the Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. However, Williams failed his physical with the Lakers, and the trade was rescinded. Dalton Knecht played his entire rookie season with the Lakers. He appeared in 78 of their 82 games and made 16 starts. Knecht averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Lakers have exercised Dalton Knecht’s 2026-27 team option. That is worth $4.2 million next year and is fully guaranteed. In one year from now, the Lakers will have to decide if they want to pick up his 2027-28 team option. His deal would be worth $6.5 million in his fourth professional season.
Lakers Exercise 26-27 Rooke Scale Option For Dalton Knecht https://t.co/fV19oReeLU
— RealGM (@RealGM) October 21, 2025
Additionally, Dalton Knecht would be eligible for a scale extension in the 2027 offseason. If the two sides cannot work out a long-term deal, Knecht could become a restricted free agent in 2028. During the 2025 offseason, there were rumors that the Los Angeles Lakers would trade Dalton Knecht. As their first game is just hours away, the second-year pro is still on the roster.
That doesn’t mean the Lakers will not trade Dalton Knecht moving forward. Los Angeles traded Knecht away last season before the deal fell through. What would stop the team from trading him in 2025-26? According to NBA insider Dan Wokie, Dalton Knecht is viewed as a “negative asset” around the league. Making it harder for Los Angeles to find a trade partner for the 24-year-old. For now, Dalton Knecht is a member of the Lakers, but who knows what his future holds with Los Angeles.
