Dalton Knecht, after returning to the Lakers after his failed trade: "I felt like I was in a movie"

During the course of a week, Dalton Knecht experienced a rare situation in the NBA. He went from being a player for the Los Angeles Lakers to being traded to the Charlotte Hornets and, ultimately, returned to the Lakers when the deal was voided.

Back with the Lakers in their 131-119 loss to the Utah Jazz, Knecht spoke for the first time about the chaotic series of events he went through. "It was a crazy time," he said after scoring 10 points in 17 minutes. "It felt like a movie."

The forward recalled that on February 5, he was at the Lakers' facilities going through his usual routine when he was interrupted before completing his free-throw series. Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the team, called him into his office to inform him of the trade that sent him to Charlotte along with Cam Reddish, a 2030 selection swap, and the 2031 first-round pick, in exchange for center Mark Williams.

"It was tough," Knecht admitted. "I was drafted here, so L.A. means a lot to me." Upon receiving the news, he flew to Charlotte on Thursday to join his new team and then traveled to Detroit on Saturday, anticipating his debut with the Hornets against the Pistons. However, once there, he received a new call from Pelinka informing him that the trade had been called off. "Rob said to me, 'You're coming back.' I was just excited to go out there and play, no matter where."

Knecht returned to Los Angeles on Sunday and on Monday met with Pelinka and coach JJ Redick. "I just want to play," he told them. "I understand this is a business, so at the end of the day, I told them, 'Let's play basketball'." He sat on the bench in street clothes during the Lakers' win over the Jazz and was reinstated into the rotation for Wednesday's game in Utah.

Meanwhile, the Hornets lodged a dispute with the NBA over the Lakers' assessment of Williams' physical condition, seeking to again overturn the transaction. Knecht claimed to have no knowledge of the possible outcome of this situation and focused solely on the game. "I just do what I love, go out and play. Whatever happens, happens. I'll compete hard wherever it is, and hopefully that's in L.A.".

His teammates welcomed him with open arms and some jokes about his "second debut" with the team. "This league is a business, and trades happen," Austin Reaves commented. "I had never seen something like this. It's the first time for me. At the end of the day, he has to come and be a professional. Go out and do his job, and I think he did well tonight. I don't think he played in a week or something. I can't wait for him to fully reintegrate because he's going to help us a lot."

Redick, on his part, definitively closed the chapter on the failed trade. "His attitude was good," he affirmed. "He played well. We're not going to talk about this anymore. We've discussed it. He's in a good place. We're good."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Dalton Knecht, tras volver a los Lakers trs su traspaso fallido: "Me he sentido como en una película"