Lakers-Pacers trade rumor. Image via: NBA
Field Detail Player Dalton Knecht Current team Los Angeles Lakers Rumored team Indiana Pacers Contract status $4.2 million salary for 2026-27; Lakers hold a $6.2 million team option for 2027-28, decision due Oct. 31 Trade likelihood Ongoing conversation, no deal finalized as of training camp Latest insider update Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer says L.A. still wants a wing/forward upgrade Potential return Aaron Nesmith, on a $40 million contract with Indiana For Indiana, absorbing two young, inexpensive pieces plus a future first-round swap gives them assets to work with even if neither Knecht nor Vanderbilt projects as an immediate rotation fixture. The 6-foot-6 forward out of Tennessee, who finished his senior year fifth in the NCAA in scoring, was the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick, but he barely played last season and posted a negative value over the replacement-player mark. Contract: $4.2 million in 2026-27; $6.2 million team option for 2027-28, decision due Oct. 31 Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts has covered the roster crunch closely.
NBA reporter Evan Sidery reported early momentum on this front. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer has since confirmed the search is still active.
“Knecht is the most likely player to be cut,” Watts wrote, adding that the pressure on him during camp is real because the front office hasn’t found a trade all offseason. “The Lakers are actively shopping Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade talks,” Sidery wrote. “The Lakers are incomplete right now moving forward,” Fischer said, noting there’s no urgency to force a deal but that L.A. still wants an upgrade at forward after missing on Kuminga.
Knecht is entering his third season without having carved out a role. Knecht’s game, built around shooting and floor spacing, hasn’t matched what the Lakers need defensively next to Doncic and Reaves, and younger, cheaper options like Bronny James and Jaden Hardy give the front office alternatives if they choose to cut rather than trade him.
