"Trade him for Gafford": Lakers fans plead front office to ship $18,483,220 forward as partying footage emerges

The LA Lakers saw their season cut short in the NBA playoffs’ first round after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. With their season already over, the Lakers players are enjoying the offseason, including rookie Dalton Knecht, who was seen partying and dancing on stage in a club.

In footage that has since gone viral on social media, the Lakers guard, who is earning $18,483,220, according to Sportrac, was seen dancing with some rappers on a stage while party-goers were vibing.

As the video circulated on X, some Lakers fans were dismayed. They suggested that the team should trade him to other teams to improve the roster for next season. A fan even said that he should be traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Daniel Gafford, who was a former teammate of Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.

“Trade him for Gafford,” one fan said.

“This team is cooked first we have dalton in the club then Jaxson Hayes fishing Alex Len chilling on the beach eating tacos and burgers LeBron podcasting Luka traveling and chilling reaves no where to be found,” one fan wrote.

“Not hating on him cause i know he didn’t get minutes but he needs to be in the gym,” another fan wrote.

Other fans suggested that he should be on the Charlotte Hornets next season, following a botched trade in February that would have put him on the Hornets in exchange for big man Mark Williams. The trade fell through due to a failed medical examination.

“bro was meant for charlotte,” another fan wrote.

“get him to charlotte man,” one fan said.

“Yeah get him off my team,” one fan wrote.

Knecht was the Lakers’ 17th overall pick from the 2024 NBA draft. In his rookie season, he averaged 9.1 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.6 percent from the 3-point line. He also played 78 games during the season.

The Lakers finished the regular season with the third seed, only to lose against the sixth-seeded Timberwolves in the first round.

Dalton Knecht learns to keep his body healthy in his rookie year

Dalton Knecht was surrounded by veterans such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis (before he was sent to Dallas) and Luka Doncic in his first year in the league. Talking in his exit interview, Knecht expressed the one thing he learned the most from his veterans.

“I’d say probably just recovering my body, the most," Knecht said. "I watched [James] all the time, watching him come in after his workouts, even before. How he recovers and preps."

Knecht is expected to continue to carve his place in the Lakers' rotation, especially as they look to build their roster around Doncic and James.