Lakers trading away 1st-round pick Dalton Knecht to Charlotte Hornets: Report

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Lakers head coach JJ Redick talks with Dalton Knecht during a game with the Clippers at the Intuit Dome Tuesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Lakers are moving on from their first-round pick Dalton Knecht.

According to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers are sending Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.

Knecht, who was picked No. 17 in the 2024 NBA Draft, did not last through the all-star break with the Lake Show. The former Tennessee Volunteer averaged just under 10 points per game after averaging 46.5% on field goals and shot 35.8% behind the three-point arc.

Williams, 23, joins the Lakers after averaging 16 points in 22 games this season for the Hornets. The big man from Duke also averaged just under 10 rebounds and shot just under 60% from field goal.

While those numbers appear promising in the small sample size, injuries have haunted Williams in his three seasons in the NBA. In his rookie year (2022-2023), Williams missed games due to ankle sprains, a thumb injury that eventually led to surgery in the following offseason. In his second year with the Hornets, he suffered a lower-back contusion.

The trade comes just days after the Lakers pulled off the trade-heard-around-the-world involving superstar Luka Dončić. The acquisition of the 7-foot-tall Williams serves as a replacement for Anthony Davis, who the Lakers sent to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Max Christie and LA's 2029 first-round pick, in exchange for Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

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