The dust might be more or less settled on the roster which the Los Angeles Lakers will be taking into the 2025-26 NBA season. However, it would be genuinely shocking if this were the exact team that the Lakers have ahead of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.<\/p>\n
There are still issues with the team that only a trade will ultimately fill<\/a>. With Luka Doncic<\/a> and LeBron James<\/a> both expressing a desire<\/a> to win in the present, there should be no doubt Rob Pelinka will be making a move or two before the 2026 NBA trade deadline eventually comes to pass.<\/p>\n Dalton Knecht<\/p>\n Dalton Knecht has minimal, if any, job security with the Lakers right now. The sharpshooting second-year pro was already forced to deal with the harsh realities of the NBA when the Mark Williams fiasco<\/a> took place. It would be surprising if that is his last time handling the impact of a trade.<\/p>\n Knecht has not done a ton to reassure the Pelinka and the front office of why the Lakers marksman is worth keeping around. Last year’s rookie firmly fell out of the rotation<\/a> late into the season. Knecht was not a big part of the Lakers’ short playoff run either.<\/p>\n The disappointments do not end there. A lackluster summer league run<\/a> has left many wondering about whether a change of scenery has become a necessity at this point.<\/p>\n Knecht’s estimated $4 million contract for 2025-26 makes him an easy candidate to help salaries work in a trade. There should also still be teams out there who see the value<\/a> in what the former Tennessee star can bring.<\/p>\n The Lakers’ efforts to firmly establish themselves as a contender will almost certainly involve Knecht. It just won’t be in an on-court capacity.<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent never really lived up to the contract the Lakers handed him in free agency. His brutal playoff flop<\/a> during this past season only served as another reminder of that fact.<\/p>\n The good news for Los Angeles will be that 2025-26 is the last year of his three-year, $11 million deal. As an expiring contract, Vincent can be floated in any trade the Lakers need him for.<\/p>\n Whether it be to a rebuilding team that wants to shed the salary by year’s end, or a contender somehow still convinced that a better fit can lead to better production, the Lakers backup guard will have value. Pelinka will need to maximize him<\/a>, alongside the other expiring deals, eventually.<\/p>\n Maxi Kleber<\/p>\n While on the subject of utilizing the expiring contracts on the roster, Maxi Kleber firmly joins that conversation. The Lakers big man will be earning $11.0 million in the final year of his current agreement.<\/p>\n Pairing Vincent and Kleber in a trade package immediately adds up to the salary of someone who can be a truly impactful player for the Lakers. It would not be totally surprising to see Knecht involved in that exact same deal either.<\/p>\n