"Even Bronny was playing better." - NBA fans react to Dalton Knecht's trade value taking a massive beating after Summer League disaster

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Imagn
NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Imagn

Dalton Knecht might have fumbled his trade stock after a lackluster performance in the NBA Summer League. The Summer League is a platform for players to show their capabilities heading into the new NBA season. While not everyone will get a spot on the main roster, those fighting for a spot typically go all out to secure their future.

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Knecht doesn't have to fight for a spot on the LA Lakers' roster. Instead, he was supposed to show that he could be an important asset to any team that decides to trade for him. The young sharpshooter underperformed in the Summer League, averaging only 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Many expected Knecht to be the main attraction of the Lakers' Summer League roster. Not even Bronny James was on everyone's list of Summer League standouts.

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Fans on social media had a lot to say regarding Dalton Knecht's poor showing this summer. Here's what some said on X:

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"Even Bronny was playing better than bro 💀"
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"Sadly lakers drafted busts two years in a row. JHS out of the league and Knecht has a year left"
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Here are other fan reactions on X.

"Maybe he knew the business side and played bad purposely because he doesn’t want to get traded," one speculated.
"Dude playing Chess!... Purposely tanking his value to teach Lakers a lesson. Cold MFER right there," one said.
"Bronny a better asset now," another said.
"He mentally checked out after that trade fell through," another said.
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NBA scouts lower Dalton Knecht's draft stock

The LA Lakers picked Dalton Knecht as the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. While he wasn't initially seen as a talent that could keep up with the other prospects from his draft class, Knecht performed better than expected in the early goings of the 2024-25 season.

Knecht showed promise, providing deadeye long-distance shooting, which the Lakers lacked for several seasons. However, his numbers and accuracy fell off midway through the season. Many are speculating that it could be due to the trade that fell through when Knecht was sent to the Charlotte Hornets.

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Since returning from Charlotte, Dalton Knecht seemed to have lost the magic he once showed. Because of his lackluster performances from that point forward, NBA analyst Jovan Buha reported that many no longer see Knecht as a first-round pick.

“Summer League has not helped Knecht’s stock, and I don’t think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation," Buha said. "That was what I heard in Vegas from talking to multiple people, non-Lakers people, just gauging what would you give for Dalton Knecht? Or if the Lakers are putting Dalton Knecht in a trade, what is he worth? And the feedback I got was, no longer worth a first-round valuation.”
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With that in mind, the bright side is, Knecht's chances of staying with the Lakers are high. The bad news is that LA may not be able to use Knecht as a valuable trade piece.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra
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