The Los Angeles Lakers have turned their offseason roster construction efforts around with their recent signing of Marcus Smart in free agency. While this has positively addressed the team’s need for an elite defender, the Lakers had the option of either waiving Jordan Goodwin or packaging Dalton Knecht and Maxi Kleber in a trade move before finalizing Smart’s signing, according to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin.
Certain cap constraints prevented the team from completing the move for Smart. To alleviate this, the Lakers opted to waive Goodwin instead of trading Knecht and Kleber.
While efforts to trade the two were made in the last 24 hours, matters never moved beyond the initial stages. The Lakers also didn’t intend to give up significant draft assets in these deals.
At the time, Irwin had suggested that a potential trade to clear cap space could have been on the table on a recent episode of “Lakers Lounge.” He said:
“The Lakers have a couple of paths they can head down. One, the Lakers would prefer to complete some type of a consolidation trade, where they send out an expiring contract and Dalton Knecht, and they bring in a player that they are more confident will help them this year and continue on without having to waive Jordan Goodwin.”
The Lakers are presently expected to offer Marcus Smart a two-year, $11 million deal. With the buyout from the Wizards, the team could acquire him at a discount. Parting ways with Goodwin made the bi-annual exception (BAE) available to the Lakers to complete this move.
While Irwin also discussed the situation surrounding Shake Milton, the Lakers eventually opted to waive the guard, clearing up the necessary roster space to acquire Smart.
Smart’s arrival doesn’t necessarily negate the possibility of trade involving Knecht and Kleber. With aspirations of becoming a title contender, the Purple and Gold could continue with building their roster strength, while also keeping a roster spot open to acquire a player later in the season.
In this regard, Knecht has garnered a lot of interest in trade rumors over the offseason. As a sharpshooter with high upside, the young guard brings a lot to the table, even if his display in the Summer League was somewhat underwhelming.
Meanwhile, Kleber now serves more as an experienced veteran big man at this stage in his career. While his intelligence and floor spacing ability could be of value to several teams in the league, his status as an expiring contract makes him a more appealing acquisition.
When considering what the Lakers could get in return for these two, it is important to remember the team’s preference for expiring/short-term contracts that will keep their cap space clear for next season.
Having addressed the concerns regarding their big man rotation, the Lakers are more likely to pursue a wing defender. While a star-caliber player is an unlikely acquisition in this trade package, the Purple and Gold could look to sign a player capable of contributing to winning right away.
