The Lakers’ preseason crisis was finally resolved by cutting Dalton Knecht, an unceremonious end to his once-promising Lakers career.
It was also a disappointing end for the team in its search for a solution that didn’t involve simply waiving Knecht. While they hoped to find a backup center, several teams around the league were also looking for ways to shore up the roster without giving up a player.
There were indeed discussions with the Lakers about a trade featuring Dalton Knecht and Jericho Sims, as The Stein Line first revealed on Oct. 15, but sources say those discussions were derailed by Milwaukee’s intention to extract two future second-round picks in the deal and the Lakers’ insistence that they part with one in exchange for Sims.
In two games this season, Sims played 1:52, all in the third quarter of the team’s season opener loss to the Wizards.
It’s still early in the season, so his role could change. But will he be a sufficiently important actor to refuse compensation in his favor? Especially when his contract is about to expire?
Certainly, every team should have a line in the sand that they won’t cross. For the Lakers, including two second-round picks seems like a step too far. This would effectively amount to trading Deandre Ayton for Jericho Sims, since that’s where the team got the second-round picks.
Is Sims a better fit than Ayton? Certainly. But Ayton is a better player than Sims, so from a talent standpoint, this trade wouldn’t make sense. You could argue that you’re also tying up a player to offload this, but it still seems like the right decision on the Lakers’ part to not pull the trigger on this deal.
Given Kevon Looney’s poor performance in the first two games of the season, it appears the team will have to make a move on a backup center. At least we know they’re actively looking for an upgrade.
Gn sports
