SALT LAKE CITY — For Dalton Knecht, Wednesday night’s loss to the Utah Jazz was his 49th game as a Laker.
But after the whirlwind the rookie wing out of Tennessee went through over the past week, he said it was also his “debut game again.”
Because for nearly 72 hours, it looked like Knecht’s tenure as a Laker was over, with the franchise trading him, along with Cam Reddish, their 2031 first-round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap, to the Charlotte Hornets for 23-year-old, 7-foot center Mark Williams on Feb. 5 in a deal that became official the next day.
But nearly 48 hours after the trade was official, it was almost like it never happened: the Lakers rescinded the trade on Feb. 8 because of a “failure to satisfy a condition of the trade,” bringing Knecht back to the Lakers.
“It was a crazy time,” Knecht said after Wednesday’s loss, his first media availability since rejoining the Lakers. “Not too many people have done that: come back [after being traded]. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to hoop.
“I told that to [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] and [Lakers general manager] Rob [Pelinka] when I got back – that was the main thing. I want to go hoop. I want to go play. So I was excited to come back here and play with my guys.”
For a few days, it seemed like Knecht’s last appearance for the Lakers was going to be in their Feb. 4 victory over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome – a game in which Knecht scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
The next day, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported that Knecht was part of the trade package the Lakers were sending to the Hornets for Williams – a player the team was hoping would be their next starting center after trading All-Star big man Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the three-team trade that landed them superstar guard Luka Doncic on Feb. 2.
So, Knecht, who the Lakers took with the No. 17 pick in last June’s draft, flew to North Carolina with the expectation that the next NBA game he played in would be for the Hornets against the Pistons on Sunday in Detroit.
But then on Saturday night, the Lakers nixed the trade because Williams reportedly failed the team’s physical exam, undoing the deal.
“It felt like a movie,” Knecht said. “After that [Clippers] game, I came back the next day and went to go get some shots up in the gym – 20 free throws in, I usually always shoot 25 right before I shoot, and Rob called me up there and told me the news.
“It was hard. I got drafted here, so L.A. means a lot. So, hearing that and then I go to Charlotte in the morning with one of my guys and get introduced and start meeting all those people and then fly out to Detroit to what was called my ‘debut game,’ to then, now I’m flying back to L.A. Rob called me and said, ‘You’re coming back.’ And I was just excited to go out there and hoop, no matter where I was going. I just want to go hoop. I told that to JJ and Rob. I get it’s a business, so at the end of the day, I told them let’s just go play basketball.”
Knecht flew back to L.A. late Sunday night and rejoined the team ahead of Monday’s home win against the Jazz. He didn’t suit up for that one, but he was back on the bench with familiar faces.
The 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year, who has shown the ability to catch fire from long range, got back to playing basketball on Wednesday, receiving a warm reception from his teammates inside the locker room.
“Every single one of them came up and pretty much hugged me,” Knecht said. “And said, ‘What’s good?’ They said, ‘Welcome back.’ And then obviously [on Wednesday], they said, ‘It’s your debut game again.’ So at the end of the day, it’s just a business. I get where Rob and JJ were going.”
Knecht scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting – all 3-pointers – in 17 minutes against the Jazz.
“I was going to play my game whenever I returned,” Knecht said. “I was going to go out there, hit some shots and play some defense with my guys and go out there and execute.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick was pleased with his play and ready to move forward.
“I thought his spirit was good. I thought he played well,” he said. “We’re not gonna talk about it anymore. We’ve talked about it. He’s in a good spot. We’re good.”
Charania reported on Monday that the Hornets have been in contact with the NBA as they “explore options” to dispute the Lakers failing Williams on his physical.
“I had no clue, to be honest,” said Knecht, who next heads to San Francisco to participate in the Rising Stars Showcase that is part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday night. “I’m just doing what I love to do, going out there and playing. And like I said, whatever happens, happens. Whatever happens, I’m just going to go out there and compete.”