Lakers Secure 2026-27 Team Option on Dalton Knecht
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The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team option on forward Dalton Knecht for the 2026-27 season, the club confirmed on Oct. 21.
The move guarantees the third year of Knecht’s rookie-scale deal at $4,201,080. The organization must decide by next October 31 whether to pick up his fourth-year option, valued at $6,452,859 for 2027-28.
If that fourth-year option is triggered, the 24-year-old would become eligible for a rookie-scale extension in the summer of 2027 and could reach restricted free agency in 2028 should the sides fail to reach a new agreement.
Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, opened his rookie campaign with 12.2 points per game while hitting 43.9 percent from three-point range over his first 19 appearances. His production dipped over the remainder of the season to 8.1 points per night on 34.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and he continued to struggle offensively during both Summer League and preseason play, shooting just over 32 percent from the field in each stint.
Despite the downturn, Los Angeles opted to lock in the 2026-27 season well ahead of the league’s Oct. 31 deadline. Knecht is the only player on the current roster with a rookie-scale team option for that campaign.
Source: Hoops Rumors
