The Dalton Knecht disaster with the Los Angeles Lakers is officially over. The Lakers waived their first-round pick earlier today. Once he clears waivers, teams like the Utah Jazz will be free to sign him for the cheapest deal possible.
Among the things we know about Knecht, besides him quickly falling out of LA, is that one, he had his best performance against the Jazz almost two years ago shortly after his rookie season began. Second is that a rumor linked the Jazz to Knecht, though obviously, it sounds as though they weren't really entertaining it much.
Besides, if they wanted him, they could have taken him in the Walker Kessler deal without question. All it took was one request, and boom, he would have been a Jazzman.
But if you can take the cheapest route possible, especially in today's NBA, you take it every chance you get. If Utah wants him, and there hasn't been any confirmed interest since his waiving that they are, they now have the chance to add him for pennies.
Knecht's value fell off a cliff, for sure, but his confidence was destroyed when LA had a deal to send him to Charlotte for Mark Williams. He'll still get a flyer somewhere, and when he does, we'll get to see if it was the chicken or the egg with Knecht.
If it's on a cheap deal, how much harm could it do if he was with the Jazz.
It'd be a harmless flyer, but might be superfluous
Knecht was designated as an NBA-ready sharpshooter. As far as cheap flyers go, they could do worse than him. However, they already have two players that do what he does: Brice Sensabaigh and Svi Mykhailiuk.
Sensabaugh has more to his game than his sharpshooting, but it's an undeniable part of what makes him so refined offensively. Mykhailiuk isn't as dynamic as Sensabaugh, but he still is a proven option who has found himself since coming to Utah.
Adding Knecht gives the Jazz a player they already have on the roster: a shooting wing. Making it even tougher is that Sensabaugh and Mykhailiuk have a lot more value than Knecht do, hence why he's on the market and they are not.
The only reason why this is discussed as an option is because Knecht went off against the Jazz not too long ago. If Utah restores his confidence, maybe that performance they had against him wouldn't be lightning in a bottle. However, that's only a hypothetical, and if he were added, he would have to work from Ground Zero.
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