Dalton Knecht’s second chance in the NBA starts in the G League, not Madison Square Garden. Knicks head coach Mike Brown confirmed that the team’s newly signed guard will play for the Westchester Knicks when the G League season opens next month, barring injuries to the main roster.
“We want him to play as much as he can,” Brown said. “So he’s gonna play some games with Westchester. If we need him to play games with us, we’ll do that. I’d rather him play than be around us too much and sit.”
Knecht signed a two-way contract with the Knicks on Friday and was in uniform for Sunday night’s game against the Orlando Magic at the Garden. He landed in New York after the Los Angeles Lakers cut him loose following just two seasons, despite taking him 17th overall in the 2024 draft and naming him to the 2025 Rising Stars Challenge.
His decline in Los Angeles began after the Lakers traded for Luka Dončić. Knecht’s role shrank, and the team tried to move him to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal for Mark Williams. That trade collapsed when Williams failed his physical, leaving Knecht stuck on the Lakers bench with little playing time.
“I don’t think nothing changed. I think the team just got changed and that was it,” Knecht said Sunday when asked about the downturn after his strong rookie start. “Still loved my time that I was there. No hard feelings; on to better things.”
The Knicks are betting little to find out if Knecht can recapture the form that made him a lottery pick — the same rookie who once scored 27 and then 37 points in back-to-back wins for the Lakers.
“We’ll take it day by day to see how quickly he picks up on the offense and the defense,” Brown said. “And then, if there’s a need to throw him out there [with the senior Knicks], I won’t hesitate to throw him out there.”
To make room for Knecht, the Knicks waived Kevin McCullar Jr., their own second-round pick from 2024, who had spent much of his two seasons injured and inactive.
“[McCullar has] been here three seasons as a two-way player, so we have a pretty good feel for him,” Brown said. “He has a good feel for us, and this is about getting to know a guy like Dalton Knecht at this point of the year. It’s something that we need to take a look at. So it wasn’t anything that Kevin didn’t do. He was great, and he is an NBA player, and I think he’s gonna get a shot down the road.”
Knecht joins a crowded backcourt that already includes reserves Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson, all three-point shooters like himself. McBride was coming off his best outing in months, scoring 20 points and hitting 6 of 8 from three-point range in Friday’s loss to the Boston Celtics after starter Mikal Bridges was benched amid shooting struggles.
“[McBride] played great. He’s one of the reasons we were still in the game,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson. “Without him doing what he was doing, it might’ve been a worse outcome. He came in ready to go and helped us.”
