Former Tennessee basketball star Dalton Knecht has been waived by the Los Angeles Lakers, the organization that drafted him in 2024.
The team announced that he had been cut from the roster on Oct. 19, the day before the NBA's 2026-27 regular season begins.
The Lakers had until 5 p.m. ET on to cut their roster down to 15 standard contracts and Knecht was the odd man out on the roster. They either had to find a trade partner or cut him and, without being able to reach a suitable deal with any other teams, the Lakers opted to outright waive Knecht.
Knecht was almost dealt in the 2024-25 season in a package that would have sent him, Cam Reddish and draft compensation to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. Williams, however, failed
the physical with the Lakers, leading to them rescind the trade.
The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 4.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game in his second season.
Knecht made history as the highest-drafted player under Vols coach Rick Barnes when the Lakers selected him with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The 2024 SEC Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American spent only one season at Tennessee. He played two years at Northern Colorado before averaging 21.7 points per game for the Vols.
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Tennessee basketball star Dalton Knecht waived by Los Angeles Lakers
