A rumor surfaced earlier this week sating that former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht had demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers.

 Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane, however, reported Wednesday that the rumor is false.

“There is a rumor circulating right now about Dalton,” said Lane. “I did check in on it. The rumor was that Dalton Knecht went to the Lakers and demanded a trade. I’ve been told that that is false and that did not happen. So Dalton Knecht demanding a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, again, what I’ve been told is that that never happened.”

Despite the rumor being untrue, there’s still a chance that Knecht, who has barely received playing with with Lakers this season, could be traded before the Feb. 5 deadline.

Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly showing interest in Dalton Knecht

According to multiple reports, the Cleveland Cavaliers are showing interest in trading for Knecht.

There are some within the Cavs organization who like the idea of adding Dalton Knecht in a buy-low spot to get off Hunter’s contract, yet discussions have been ongoing.

The Lakers have expressed interest in Haywood Highsmith and Day’Ron Sharpe from Brooklyn. https://t.co/TfrBXa2KeR

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) January 30, 2026

? The Lakers and Cavaliers are discussing a trade that would send out Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht in exchange for De’Andre Hunter, per @ChrisFedor

A third team could be involved. pic.twitter.com/yjYChX9KxP

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 30, 2026

Knecht was a first round pick by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft. The former Vol showed promise as a rookie, scoring 37 points in just his 14th game.

Unfortunately for Knecht, he’s seemingly fallen out of favor in Los Angeles over the last year, and is barely even a role player at this point.

The Lakers tried to trade Knecht last season to the Charlotte Hornets, but the deal was rescinded.