Exciting news, the 17th pick is shining! The Lakers are ready to trade and sell off.

Knecht’s single-game performance of 30 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals... sadly, these numbers came from the G League rather than the main NBA games, and he has since been called back by the Lakers.

This player, born April 19, 2001, is a 1.98-meter tall forward-guard swingman, selected 17th overall in the 2024 first round. During his rookie year, he averaged 19.2 minutes with 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. This season, he’s averaged 15.1 minutes, scoring 6.4 points and grabbing 1.9 rebounds per game.

Seeing Knecht’s sophomore season regress rather than improve, the Lakers are once again considering trading him.

In fact, as early as last season in February, the Lakers had planned to send Knecht along with Reddish, an unprotected 2023 first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick swap to the Hornets. However, the deal fell through because Mauvais failed his physical exam.

To be fair, if Knecht weren’t playing on this talent-loaded Lakers team, he might have already made a mark, at least performing better than now. If traded this season, it could be a crucial turning point in his career.

Currently, the Lakers hold an 18-7 record, sitting third in the Western Conference, one game behind the second-place Nuggets, tied with the fourth-place Spurs, and just one game ahead of the fifth-place Rockets, always at risk of dropping out of the top three.

Next up, the Lakers will face the Jazz on the road. ESPN predicts a 78.2% chance of victory for the Purple and Gold, making this a must-win game.

Looking at the Lakers’ performance this season so far, they are a typical team with strong offense but weak defense,ranking sixth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 118.0, but only twentieth in defensive efficiency at 116.5.Therefore, the team should aim to acquire a versatile defender in the trade market to strengthen their defensive depth.

The current Heat forward Wiggins, who helped the Warriors win the championship in 2022 as a key forward, has long been a coveted target for the Lakers; of course, they won’t put all their eggs in one basket, as the Pelicans’ Jones is also highly attractive to them.

So far this season, Wiggins averages 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 38% from the field with 1.8 three-pointers made per game; Jones averages 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and shoots 33.8% from three, making 1.4 threes per game.