The Los Angeles Lakers are at the center of a rare trade occurrence in the NBA. No, we’re not talking about their blockbuster acquisition of Luka Doncic, we’re talking about the rescinded trade with the Charlotte Hornets. Mark Williams was expected to join the Lakers for Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, but the deal was rescinded due to Williams’ failing a physical.
Knecht has returned to the Lakers roster but wasn’t in the playing squad for the game against the Utah Jazz. Head coach JJ Redick explained why Knecht is yet to rejoin the squad fully, sympathizing with the situation the rookie has been put into.
“With Dalton, I spoke with him this morning. I think I expressed to him just the empathy, grace that I would give him and have for him right now. He’s obviously been through a whirlwind of emotions as a rookie over the last few days. But we believe in the strength of the group and having him around the group today.”
“He’s not necessarily gonna be in the rotation today, he will be in uniform. But I really feel like, he flew back into L.A. last night, he’s obviously kind of processing everything that’s happened. He’ll play Wednesday but he’ll be out of the rotation tonight unless something happens.”
According to Redick, Knecht should be back in the playing lineup for the Lakers’ game tonight, which will also be against the Jazz. The game on Monday was Luka Doncic’s debut, so Knecht knows he’ll have the chance to benefit from Doncic’s perimeter shot creation, with the streaky shooter potentially carving out a role for himself.
He needs to be determined to prove to the Lakers why they should’ve never tried trading him. If he continues to struggle with the franchise’s attempt to trade him, he definitely will be out of the door the first chance they get in the summer. If he balls out in the remaining time, he might make himself indispensable to the franchise.
Dalton Knecht Has To Overcome His Feelings
There’s nothing bad to say about what Knecht is going through and how can move past it. If he needs to sit out a game to wrap his mind around being back with the franchise after they traded you away, it’s completely fair. However, the Lakers and their fans won’t have much patience for the rookie to get his head right as they get ready for a Playoff push.
Kencht is averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds this season. The Lakers could use his shooting talent on the wing on their current roster which can’t maximize Doncic’s three-point creation with less-than-average shooters.
Doncic has built successful partnerships with multiple corner shooters and Knecht could be the next one if he buys into the situation.
He can’t be too beaten up about almost being traded away after the deadline that we just saw. Anthony Davis was the Lakers’ best player all year and he’s gone, so obviously a rookie like Knecht would be on the market for the right upgrade.
He could still have a bright future on the Lakers provided he maximizes his upcoming opportunities. A shooter like him could build a career off being fed by a passer like Doncic, so he should return to the court motivated to prove to everyone why he should’ve never been involved in a potential trade, to begin with.
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