Lakers' failed trade involving Dalton Knecht could legitimately lead to immediate tension between LeBron James and Luka Doncic
Former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht just experienced one of the wildest weeks ever for an NBA player. Late last week, Knecht (along with Cam Reddish and draft picks) was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams. Just two days later, however, the trade was rescinded due to […]
Former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht just experienced one of the wildest weeks ever for an NBA player.
Late last week, Knecht (along with Cam Reddish and draft picks) was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.
Just two days later, however, the trade was rescinded due to concerns over Williams' health.
A few days before the Lakers' failed deal with the Hornets, Los Angeles traded center Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
Knecht went from thinking he was playing with Doncic and LeBron James in Los Angeles to thinking he was heading to Charlotte where he was going to see significantly more playing time (albeit on a bad team) to heading back to the Lakers to suit up for the team that tried to ship him across the country.
Quite a week for the former Vol.
It's unknown how Knecht feels about the failed trade, though ESPN reported on Monday that his agents had no comment when asked about the deal.
From ESPN: Even if the Lakers avoided a potential pitfall with Williams' health, the immediate aftermath of reversing the trade has consequences. The team will need to repair its relationship with Knecht, for one. His agents, Anthony Coleman and Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, had no comment on the rescinded deal when reached by ESPN on Saturday. And then there is the perception of fumbled execution by the front office.
On top of returning back to the team that just tried to trade him, Knecht could be stepping into a situation where there's some tension between James and Doncic because of the failed deal.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the reason the Lakers originally made the deal for Williams was to appease Doncic.
McMenamin reported that this fact wasn't "lost" on James' camp.
"What is clear is that Doncic will have a say," wrote McMenamin. "And it wasn't lost on James' camp, sources said, that (Rob) Pelinka (the Lakers' GM) prioritized Doncic's involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he'd asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster."
It's understandable if Doncic getting say in the Lakers' roster moves just days after arriving to Los Angeles via the trade with Dallas doesn't sit well with James.
It's also worth noting that James is a big fan of Knecht.
It'll certainly be interesting to see how the Doncic/James partnership plays out in Los Angeles.
And Knecht will get a front-row seat for all of it.
