Lakers Waive Dalton Knecht, Keep Bronny James on Roster Despite Rough Preseason

The Los Angeles Lakers made their final roster cut on Monday, waiving 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht and keeping third-year guard Bronny James on the 15-man roster for the 2026-27 season. The move came just ahead of the NBA’s roster deadline, two days before the Lakers open the season at home against the Golden State Warriors.

Knecht, the No. 17 overall pick out of Tennessee in 2024, is now a free agent and free to sign with any team. James, a second-round pick (No. 55 overall) in that same draft, survives the cut despite a rough preseason in which he struggled to find his shot, setting off a fresh wave of debate across the NBA about why he is still in Los Angeles.

Lakers Run Out of Options on Knecht

The Lakers entered training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts and needed to trim the roster to 15 before opening night. They explored a consolidation trade, including a possible deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for center Jericho Sims that would have sent Knecht the other way, but talks fell apart when Los Angeles was unwilling to part with multiple second-round picks. With few tradable assets left, the front office simply ran out of ways to move him.

It is a steep fall for a player who looked like one of the best values of the 2024 draft. Knecht scored 37 points in a November 2024 win over the Utah Jazz and tied the NBA rookie record with nine three-pointers in a game. He averaged 9.6 points on 46.1 percent shooting in 19.2 minutes per game as a rookie. A trade to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams was rescinded at the 2025 deadline, and Knecht never recovered his place in the rotation. Last season he averaged 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes per game, and he played only 14 combined minutes across the final two preseason games this month.

Head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the shift before the preseason finale. “The team changed,” Redick said. “The needs changed, the fit changed. I think he got better as a player over the last two years.” The Lakers brought in nine new players this offseason, which buried Knecht even deeper on the forward depth chart. Knecht was given an excused absence from practice on Monday. His expiring contract was worth roughly $4.2 million, and he now becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Why Bronny James Survived the Cut

For James, the decision is a reprieve. The 22-year-old guard is on a four-year contract worth roughly $7.8 million, and he struggled badly in the preseason, averaging 2.2 points on 25 percent shooting over five games. The numbers fueled loud criticism, with some analysts arguing the Lakers should have moved on from James rather than Knecht, and a viral post purporting to show Knecht complaining about losing his spot to “Bronny” turned out to be a parody and not a real statement.

The Lakers, though, have invested in James’s development, and he has carved out a modest role. He worked his way into the postseason rotation last season while the team dealt with backcourt injuries, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in the regular season while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range. The family context also looms large: LeBron James left Los Angeles for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Bronny is now the only James still wearing a Lakers uniform. He is also working alongside Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Adou Thiero on the defensive end, a role that may offer his clearest path to minutes.

What Comes Next for the Lakers

The Lakers’ opening-night roster is built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with Walker Kessler anchoring the middle after the offseason trade with Utah. Collin Sexton, who missed all five preseason games with a lower right leg injury, was a full participant in practice on Monday but would only say he is taking things “day by day” for the opener. Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero both missed Monday’s practice.

Los Angeles opens the season Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena against Golden State, with the Lakers listed as 6.5-point favorites and a total of 234.5. Bettors weighing the opener can compare early lines and sign-up offers like the Fanatics Sportsbook promo code before tip-off, and the full list of online sportsbooks is available for anyone shopping for the best number.

As for Knecht, the 6-foot-6 forward should draw interest from teams looking for scoring depth on a cheap deal. With the regular season just days away, a landing spot could come quickly. Whether he can recapture the form that made him a rookie sensation in Los Angeles is the question, and he will have every chance to answer it somewhere else. For Bronny James, the pressure now shifts squarely onto his shoulders to prove the Lakers made the right call.