​Lakers predicted to trade Dalton Knecht for rival $41M elite defender, 10-year veteran originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Los Angeles Lakers have to make some roster moves to get their number of players down to the legal limit of 15. Coming into the offseason, the Lakers planned to make some trades in hopes of getting that number down.However, there hasn’t been a successful tactic for LA, as many teams have not liked their trade packages. Throughout the summer, Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt have been on the trade block.“The Lakers are actively shopping Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade talks. After gaining two second-round picks in the Deandre Ayton trade, Los Angeles could consolidate those assets in a deal immediately for a starting-caliber wing,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.The good thing for Knecht if he gets traded is that he is still young and has time to figure some things out. The bad thing is that the 25-year-old currently does not have much trade value for the Lakers to get rid of him.“Knecht showed some promise as a rookie but fell off in Year 2 and is now a contract filler in a potential trade. It has been surprising that no team has been willing to gamble on his upside–he is only 25,” Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney wrote.LA still appears to be looking for some sort of deal to part with Knecht. In a proposed deal by Heavy.com’s Eli Gregorski, the Lakers would send Knecht and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Kris Dunn.“Los Angeles Lakers receive: Kris Dunn. Los Angeles Clippers receive: Dalton Knecht and a second-round pick,” Gregorski wrote.This would be a good move for the Lakers, as they would bring Dunn into a backup role for the organization. It would also be good for Knecht, who would finally get a fresh start after seeing a huge reduction in rotational minutes last season.Dunn has made $41 million in his career. The veteran guard is an elite defender on that side of the ball, which is something a team can never have too much of. If the purpose of this deal is to move on from Knecht’s contract, this could be a win for both sides.More NBA news:Cavaliers officially sign historic $511M former MVP, 11-time All-Star to pair with Donovan MitchellClippers’ Kawhi Leonard reportedly with Raptors on team retreat despite trade being unfinishedTimberwolves’ Anthony Edwards sends loud message to NBA while meeting ex-Warrior Jonathan KumingaHeat reportedly interested in signing $38M energetic 11-year journeyman to backup Davion Mitchell