"You wanna play with LeBron James and Luka Doncic or not?" - NBA fans react to Dalton Knecht's behavior following his Lakers' comeback
On Thursday, the LA Lakers traded Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and a pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. Two days later, the trade was rescinded. According to reports, LA failed Williams on his physical, resulting in Knecht and Reddish going back to the Lakers.
During LA's 132-113 win over the Jazz on Monday, Knecht was in street clothes on the bench. According to a report from The Athletic's Jovan Buha on Tuesday, Knecht told LA coach JJ Redick that he needed to process the situation before returning to play.
"Dalton Knecht told JJ Redick prior to yesterday’s game that he’ll need more time to process everything before returning to play," Legion Hoops tweeted, citing Buha.
NBA fans were quick to weigh in on the situation.
"You're a rookie bro. You wanna play with LeBron and Luka or not? Cuz they're not gonna shed a tear if you got your feelings hurt," one fan wrote.
"Jj needs to tell him to stop whining and get his ass on the court, he ain't getting paid millions for nothing," another fan wrote.
"Grow up and play. Did Luka or AD ask for “time to process” this stuff? Ya get millions to play a game," another fan commented.
"Your playing with King James & Luka. Get over it," one said.
Here are more fan reactions on X:
"Process what mf? You’re a rookie that got traded and then it was cancelled and you’re staying exactly where you were anyways. GTFOH," one fan wrote.
"Process what. Just climb back in the jersey you already have and get going," another fan said.
"Honestly this is just immaturity. Use this to your advantage and play harder man," one fan tweeted.
Charlotte Hornets reportedly exploring options to push back on rescinded Dalton Knecht-Mark Williams trade
The rescinded Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht trade has been a major talking point around the league over the past few days. As the deadline already passed, LA has no hopes of acquiring another starting big man via the trade market.
Given that the buyout market/free agency pool isn't exactly bursting with starter-level talent that can help the Lakers make a run at the title, there have been tons of questions surrounding what the rest of the season looks like for them.
However, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that Charlotte is exploring its options in response to the rescinded trade and has been in contact with the league.
"The Charlotte Hornets have been in contact with the NBA as they explore options to dispute the Los Angeles Lakers' failed physical assessment of Mark Williams, sources tell ESPN. The Williams/Dalton Knecht trade was nixed Saturday, and now Hornets weigh avenues to challenge," Charania tweeted.
While it seems highly unlikely that the NBA will step in and overrule it, the situation continues to play out in national headlines, adding to the attention on Knecht.
With just one more game on the Lakers' schedule before the All-Star break, only time will tell when Knecht returns to action.