Dalton Knecht is on the move in the middle of his rookie NBA season.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded the Tennessee basketball product to the Charlotte Hornets early Thursday morning, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Knecht was picked No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He is averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 20.7 minutes while shooting 35.8% on 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-6 guard has five 20-point games, including a 24-point game with five 3-pointers against Philadelphia on Jan. 28. He scored 37 points against Utah on Nov. 19, hitting nine 3-pointers to tie an NBA rookie record and scoring 22 straight points.
Knecht was named SEC Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-American in his lone season at Tennessee. He is the highest-drafted player under Vols coach Rick Barnes.
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Dalton Knecht traded to Charlotte from Lakers
Charania reported Knecht was part of a Lakers package that included Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap for Charlotte center Mark Williams.
The Lakers recently traded starting center Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic in a blockbuster deal. The Lakers used Knecht as a trade centerpiece to fill the center spot in the deal with Charlotte.
Former Tennessee star Grant Williams is with the Hornets, but is sidelined after tearing his ACL in November.
THE RISE:Untold stories of Dalton Knecht’s ascension to Tennessee basketball star, NBA Draft prospect
Dalton Knecht was Lakers’ first-round pick out of Tennessee basketball
Knecht became the poster child of the transfer portal when he jumped to Tennessee for his final season. He averaged 21.7 points overall, 25.5 points in SEC play, after transferring from Northern Colorado.
The Thornton, Colorado, native finished with 780 points, the second-most in a single season in program history. Knecht had 13 25-point games, eight 30-point games, six 35-point games, and a 40-point game.
He started his career at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
