The Los Angeles Lakers have a math problem, and the clock is nearly out of room.
When the Lakers hosted the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena in their final preseason game, they did so with 16 players on guaranteed contracts — one more than the 15 the NBA allows during the regular season. By 2 p.m. PT on Monday, every team must set its Opening Night roster. Los Angeles hosts the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday to open the regular season, which means the front office’s decision is due within days, not weeks.
Two names keep surfacing in that decision: third-year wing Dalton Knecht and veteran guard Jaden Hardy. And one potential solution — a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks — is running into real skepticism.
The Knecht-for-Sims framework, and the doubt around it
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would send Knecht to Milwaukee, along with second-round draft capital, in exchange for big man Jericho Sims. Fischer reported the talks on Thursday, but he also flagged the catch: he has heard pessimism from sources briefed on those discussions that such a trade will actually go through.
The logic on Los Angeles’ side is easy to see. The Lakers’ center room currently features Walker Kessler as the locked-in starter, with Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili splitting the reserve minutes depending on matchups — Looney the traditional option, Mamukelashvili the small-ball five. Fischer reported that the Lakers have been engaged in trade talks to get from 16 to 15 standard contracts “and perhaps even acquire some additional frontcourt help in the process.” A deal like Knecht-plus-second-round-picks for Sims would do both at once.
Whether it happens is another matter. The pessimism Fischer cited suggests the framework is exploratory rather than close, and the Lakers have not found traction on a preferred deal involving either Knecht or Hardy, both of whom remained on the roster entering the final preseason game.
What the Lakers would get in Jericho Sims
Sims, now entering his sixth season, has spent time with the New York Knicks and the Bucks without establishing himself as a rotation player at either stop. He did appear in a career-high 67 games last season, logging a career-high 1,318 minutes.
His profile is narrow but specific. Sims is a sprightly, athletic, undersized center at 6 feet 10 inches whose offensive game lives almost entirely above the rim. Per Basketball Reference, nearly 60% of his career made field goals — 59.5% — have been dunks, 250 of them across five seasons, roughly one per game and one every 15.6 minutes. More than 82% of his career shots have come between zero and three feet from the basket, and he has converted 80.3% of them.
The limitations are just as clear. His offense beyond dunks is minimal, and turnovers have been a persistent problem — his career turnover rate sits at 24.1%. Defensively, his energy is often undone by poor positioning and his underwhelming size.
Still, in a small role next to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, his above-the-rim finishing could have value. He generates a good deal of offensive rebounds, and Los Angeles would offer the most favorable offensive environment of his career. As one assessment put it, acquiring Sims would not be a needle-mover — but it would diversify the center room and help on the margins.
Why Dalton Knecht is the name on the block
Knecht’s situation tells you why the Lakers are willing to attach draft capital to move him rather than simply keep him.
The 25-year-old was selected by Los Angeles with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft and showed real promise as a rookie, averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.
His second season went the other way. During the 2025-26 campaign, Knecht fell out of the Lakers’ rotation, recording just 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game on 45.5% shooting from the field and 34.2% from deep. The bigger problem was defense: his minus-8.5 net rating was the worst mark among all Lakers players who appeared in at least 30 games last season, according to NBA.com.
The offseason made his path even harder. Los Angeles added wing depth by bringing in Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Matisse Thybulle, crowding the very position group where Knecht once looked like a building block.
Knecht or Hardy? The league’s expectation
If no trade materializes, the Lakers will have to waive someone, and the expectation around the league is that either Knecht or Hardy will be the odd man out. League personnel expect that player to be Knecht, according to Yahoo Sports — though no decision has been made yet, which leaves time and opportunity for the Lakers to go another route.
Hardy, for his part, arrived in Los Angeles in July in the trade that sent Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards. Speaking after Friday morning’s shootaround, he kept the looming roster decision at arm’s length.
“For me, I just came here [with] a clear head, clear-minded, new situation,” Hardy said. “New opportunity. It’s a blessing to be here.”
Asked whether he feels any anxiety knowing the crunch is coming, he was unbothered. “Nah, I mean, it’s in God’s hands,” Hardy said. “I’m blessed to be here.”
Pelinka laid out the options a month ago
None of this is a surprise inside the organization. The Lakers built their roster through July knowing they were entering training camp over the limit, and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka addressed it directly in late September.
“Going from 16 guys to 15 guys, we have until Opening Night for the competition to sort of play out and see who the best 15 players are,” Pelinka said. “Behind that evaluation of who’s emerging in camp, there’s also consolidation trades that can still be looked at, trading two guys out, bringing one in. So there’s a number of ways that that could be addressed, and the back-end point of it will be before we play the Warriors. So, the next month will kinda answer those questions.”
The month has answered. The Warriors arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday, and the Lakers’ roster must be set by Monday afternoon.
The decision tree
So what are the realistic outcomes? Three, roughly.
First, the Bucks trade gets done. The framework exists — Knecht and second-round capital for Sims — and it would solve the roster math while adding a fourth body to the center rotation. The reported pessimism around those talks, however, makes this the least certain path.
Second, a different trade emerges. The Lakers have explored deals involving both Knecht and Hardy, and Pelinka’s September comments about consolidation trades — moving two players out for one — suggest the front office has considered other structures beyond the Milwaukee framework.
Third, and perhaps most likely given the stalled talks: a waiver. If the Lakers cannot find a deal, league personnel expect Knecht to be the player waived, ending his Los Angeles tenure two years after the team drafted him in the first round.
Whatever route they take, the deadline is fixed. Rosters across the league must be trimmed to 15 players by Monday at 2 p.m. PT, the regular season begins Tuesday, and the Lakers’ first chance to see their final group together comes Wednesday night against the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
FAQ
When do the Lakers have to finalize their roster?
All NBA teams must set their Opening Night rosters of 15 standard-contract players by 2 p.m. PT on Monday. The regular season begins Tuesday, and the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors in their first game on Wednesday.
What trade have the Lakers discussed with the Bucks?
According to Jake Fischer, the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory talks on a framework that would send Dalton Knecht, along with second-round draft capital, to Milwaukee in exchange for center Jericho Sims. Fischer also reported pessimism from sources briefed on the talks that the trade will actually be completed.
Who will the Lakers waive if they can't make a trade?
League personnel expect Dalton Knecht to be the player waived if the Lakers cannot find a trade, though no decision has been made and the team has explored deals involving both Knecht and Jaden Hardy.
Who is on the Lakers' center depth chart?
Walker Kessler is the locked-in starter, with Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili splitting reserve minutes — Looney as the traditional option and Mamukelashvili as the small-ball five.