{"id":134296,"date":"2025-06-29T14:58:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T14:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/134296\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T14:58:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T14:58:15","slug":"nba-offseason-rumors-los-angeles-lakers-might-make-a-move-for-107-million-toronto-raptors-star-guard-parting-ways-with-dalton-knecht","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/134296\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Offseason Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers might make a move for $107 million Toronto Raptors star guard, parting ways with Dalton Knecht?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NBADalton Knecht and Luka Doncic (Image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images) The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> are reportedly considering a bold move this summer to bolster their roster, potentially trading rookie forward Dalton Knecht to acquire former New York Knicks star RJ Barrett from the Toronto Raptors. This comes as the Lakers continue to ride the wave of success following their acquisition of Luka Doncic, who has been instrumental in their recent seven-game winning streak, propelling them to a 39-21 record and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic<\/a>\u2019s partnership with LeBron James has been a game-changer for the Los Angeles Lakers, driving their offense to a No. 12 ranking with a 117.3 offensive rating over the last seven games. However, their defensive performance has been equally impressive, boasting a league-leading 106.2 defensive rating during the same stretch. This resurgence has sparked speculation that the Lakers might be willing to part ways with Knecht to secure a proven talent like RJ Barrett.
“Knecht would be a great addition for Toronto,” Heavy Sports’ David Grubb noted. “His three-point shooting addresses a key need, and his ability to play multiple positions offers flexibility. If he improves defensively and becomes more consistent on offense, he could become a solid contributor for a championship contender.”
\"RJ<\/p>\n

RJ Barrett (Image via Getty)<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers previously attempted to trade Knecht during the deadline in a deal for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, which ultimately fell through. This time, they could package Knecht, along with Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt\u2019s salaries, and draft capital to pursue RJ Barrett. The Raptors, who are reportedly open to moving Barrett, might find this offer appealing as they look to reshape their roster around Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.
“With the Toronto Raptors envisioning a frontcourt of Scottie Barnes and newly extended Brandon Ingram along with former lottery pick Gradey Dick at shooting guard, where does that leave current leading scorer RJ Barrett\u2019s future?” HoopsHype\u2019s Michael Scotto questioned. “Based on conversations before the deadline, RJ Barrett could be a trade candidate to monitor this summer.”
Barrett, who was traded to Toronto from the Knicks during the 2023-24 season, has been a consistent performer, averaging 21.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 49 games this season. His versatility and scoring ability make him an attractive target for the Los Angeles Lakers, who could see him as a perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic and James.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angele Lakers might reunite with $3 million shooting guard before playoffs to support LeBron James and Luka Doncic<\/a>
As the offseason approaches, the Lakers\u2019 pursuit of RJ Barrett could signal their commitment to building a championship-caliber team for the 2025-26 season. With Luka Doncic and James leading the charge, adding a player of Barrett\u2019s caliber might be the final piece needed to elevate the Lakers back to title contention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dalton Knecht and Luka Doncic (Image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images) The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly considering a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3770],"tags":[7,1250,150,368,6,15762,681,26520,680,476,3820],"class_list":{"0":"post-134296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-raptors","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-dalton-knecht","10":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","11":"tag-luka-doncic","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-offseason-rumors","14":"tag-raptors","15":"tag-rj-barrett-trade-rumors","16":"tag-toronto","17":"tag-toronto-raptors","18":"tag-torontoraptors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114767246544320389","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}