{"id":199477,"date":"2026-06-07T18:08:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T22:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=199477"},"modified":"2026-06-07T18:08:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T22:08:34","slug":"dalton-knecht-pacers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/07\/dalton-knecht-pacers\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers’ Dalton Knecht Linked to Pacers in Promising Swap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aside from the monumental free agency decisions the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> will have to make, they\u2019ll also need to consider moves to fortify their bench. An Indiana Pacers beat writer has tapped <\/span>Dalton Knecht<\/span><\/a> as a potential offseason target, formulating a proposal that sees the Lakers<\/a> acquire an intriguing two-way wing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers’ Dalton Knecht Linked to Pacers in Promising Swap<\/h2>\n

Pacers Beat Writer Proposes Deal for Knecht<\/h3>\n

Dustin Dopirak of the <\/span>Indianapolis Star<\/span><\/a> recently posited several offseason targets for the Pacers, including Knecht and the Lakers for a swap of 3-point shooters. Dopirak proposed a mock trade in which the Lakers land <\/span>Ben Sheppard<\/span><\/a> and a second-round pick.<\/span><\/p>\n

In outlining his reasoning for the deal, Dopirak explained that going after Knecht<\/a> would help them keep <\/span>Jarace Walker<\/span><\/a>, giving the Pacers \u201cplayers on rookie-scale contracts who are unlikely to receive contract extensions from the teams that drafted them.\u201c Citing Knecht\u2019s fall from grace from backup to benchwarmer, he added:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026he’s on a cheap contract, he has a club option for 2027-28 and he might benefit from playing in the Pacers’ wide open system. On the flip side, the Lakers might be able to use Ben Sheppard’s defense off the bench.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 54 games and 10.2 minutes per contest, Knecht averaged 4.2 points per game on 45.5% shooting from the field and 34.2% from 3-point range. Buried on the bench in favor of stars and veteran contributors, the 17th pick in the 2024 draft logged just seven games with double-digit scoring this season. It\u2019s a far cry from a more effective rookie campaign that saw seven 20-point performances from him\u2014including a career-high 37 with nine 3-pointers.<\/span><\/p>\n