Former Tennessee Vols star Dalton Knecht finds his new NBA home, but it’s not an ideal situation
The VFL will have to work his way into the rotation with the defending NBA champs.
Former Tennessee Vols star Dalton Knecht finally got what many fans in the Volunteer State had been hoping for for well over a year: freedom from the Los Angeles Lakers.
That came earlier this week when Knecht was waived by LA right before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. Naturally, the next question was: where would the offensively skilled young talent end up? With an extremely good franchise as it turns out.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Knecht has reached an agreement to sign a two-way contract with the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.
Dalton Knecht agrees to two-way contract with the New York Knicks
Now, at first glance, signing with a team that just won the NBA title seems like a great opportunity. And certainly, the Knicks have proven great leadership and coaching by reaching their first NBA title last season in over half a century. Head coach Mike Brown is a two-time NBA coach of the year. And really, after the seeming lack of development and readily apparent lack of trust from JJ Redick and his staff in Los Angeles, really anything different couldn’t hurt at this point.
So, what’s the catch? Well, two things. First, Knecht is signing a two-way contract, meaning he can go back and forth between the Knicks and their G-League team. He also is ineligible for the postseason and can play a maximum of 50 NBA games in a season. He also is part of a limited three spaces for two-way players on a roster. Of course, all of that changes if he eventually proves himself worthy of getting signed to a full roster spot.
And therein lies the other challenge. The Knicks aren’t devoid of competitive roster talent, where Knecht could get more time to play and develop. They’re a deep and talented title contender, making finding playing time a challenge.
We’ll see if Knecht can turn his career around in the Big Apple, and if he does, he will have truly earned it.
