Charles Barkley: 'Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen'
Charles Barkley didn’t hold back. Before the NBA season tipped off Tuesday night, he ripped the 16 teams that passed on Dalton Knecht in the first round of the NBA Draft back in June.
“These NBA general managers don’t have any idea what they’re doing,” Barkley said on TNT’s coverage of the league’s opening night, which featured the defending champion Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. That’s a bad boy right there. Dalton Knecht. Remember that name, y’all.”
Dalton Knecht’s NBA debut: 5 points, 2-4 FG, 2 assists, 16 minutes
Knecht in his NBA debut Tuesday scored five points in 16 minutes off the bench, making his first two shots from the field. He added two assists, a rebound and a steal and was a plus-seven for LA.
He entered the NBA Draft widely projected as a lottery pick, but slid out of the lottery on draft night.
Knecht all rookies in scoring during the NBA’s preseason, averaging 18.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assist per game while shooting 36% from the 3-point line.
In his final preseason appearance last week, he went off for 35 points in an overtime win on the road against the Phoenix Suns. He finished 10-for-18 shooting from the floor, going 8-for-13 at the 3-point line. At one point in the fourth quarter and overtime had scored 20 straight points for LA.
“It was an incredible performance,” Lakers first-year coach JJ Redick said after the game last week. “That was supernatural.”
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Knecht was a consensus First Team All-American at Tennessee
Knecht starred in his one season at Tennessee last season, leading the Vols to the Elite Eight while averaging 21.7 points per game — he shot 45.8% from the floor and 39.7% from the 3-point line — and 25.5 points in SEC games. He was the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus first team All American after transferring from Northern Colorado.
He scored a career-high 40 points against Kentucky in his final game at Food City Center. He scored 30 or more points in eight games, 20 or more points in 19 games and 10 or more points in 32 of Tennessee’s 36 games.
On July 3 Knecht signed his rookie contract that, according to Spotrac, was worth $18.4 million over four years, with $7.8 million guaranteed at signing.
According to the Spotrac numbers, Knecht will make $3.8 million as a rookie in 2024-25, then $4.01 million in 2025-26. The third and fourth years of the deal includes club options, with Knecht set to make $4.2 million in 2026-27 and $6.4 million 2027-28.
“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us, as Dalton Knecht (was),” Lakes director of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said after the draft.
