The New York Knicks have entered the conversation for Dalton Knecht, the 25-year-old wing the Los Angeles Lakers waived earlier this week.
Selected 17th overall in the 2024 draft, Knecht flashed scoring ability as a rookie, averaging 9.1 points and shooting 37.6 percent from three while delivering a 37-point outing against Utah.
His second season, however, was far more limited; he managed just 4.2 points across 54 appearances before Los Angeles moved on.
With the defending champions reportedly among the clubs showing interest, any addition would require a roster adjustment because New York has already filled its three two-way slots.
According to Alder Almo of Heavy.com, the Knicks would need to release an existing two-way player to create space for Knecht on a similar deal.
Almo notes that the current two-way group consists of Jaden Akins, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Tyler Nickel, the 47th overall pick in June who signed a two-year agreement and appears to hold the most secure position of the three.
That leaves Akins, who joined the organization in late September after summer-league time, and McCullar, who returned on another two-way contract after limited previous NBA minutes, as the more plausible candidates for a waiver.
Neither has established a firm role, and either could be moved without altering the team’s salary-cap math.
Unlike Minnesota, Sacramento, and Toronto—the other clubs linked to Knecht—the Knicks lack an open two-way spot, so any pursuit carries a cost in developmental opportunity.
Those three teams can extend an offer without first parting ways with someone already under contract. For New York, the calculation is more delicate.
Knecht’s shooting could theoretically supply another perimeter weapon around Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges, yet meaningful minutes on a contending roster would be harder to earn than they might be on a rebuilding club.
The organization must therefore weigh that offensive upside against the defensive versatility it already seeks from its young depth.
No reporting has singled out Akins or McCullar as definite casualties, and the front office has only recently invested in developing Akins. Still, the practical path to adding Knecht runs through one of those two contracts.
Whether the Knicks ultimately decide a former lottery hopeful’s second chance is worth sacrificing an existing developmental piece will determine how far their interest actually goes.
For the moment, the interest remains exploratory, and any roster move would signal a clear preference for immediate wing scoring over the continued development of one of their current two-way players.
