FROM 'STEAL' TO SELL: HOW DALTON KNECHT LOST REDICK’S TRUST AFTER SUMMER LEAGUE WOES
The Lakers assigned Dalton Knecht to the G League, signalling a likely trade before the deadline. Coach JJ Redick, initially a huge fan, has reportedly grown frustrated with his defence.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was seen alone on the bench before the November 28, 2025, game versus the Mavericks in Los Angeles.
In other news, the Lakers sent Dalton Knecht, their former first-round pick, to the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate, this Monday. Word is that Rob Pelinka and the front office are planning to trade Knecht before the February 5 deadline.
The Lakers also assigned guard Adou Thiero to South Bay. This is supposedly Knecht’s first assignment to the G League this year.
Knecht came to Los Angeles with a lot of hype but hasn't quite lived up to it in his first season and a half. He showed flashes of being a good shooter in his first year, making 1.6 threes per game at a 38% clip. But he hasn't really improved since then. This year, he's averaging 6.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game, shooting 36% from beyond the arc in 20 appearances.
The 24-year-old hasn't been great on defense either, which has kept Redick from giving him more minutes.
Redick was initially excited about Knecht.
The Lakers coach was thrilled when they drafted Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. It was Redick’s first time being in an NBA war room before his first season coaching the team in 2024-25.
Redick thought the Lakers got a steal in Knecht because of his ability to shoot on the move—a skill that's valued in today's NBA.
According to ESPN, a team source said that the new Lakers coach Redick is a big fan of this pick, since he’s been talking about how important it is to add shooting to the roster. Considering Redick made over 2,000 NBA 3s in his career at a 41% clip, this isn't surprising.
Reportedly, Redick also believed that Knecht, who spent five years in college, was more ready for the NBA than other rookies and could make an instant impact.
A Lakers team source told ESPN, None of us thought he’d be there. It’s crazy. He’s the most ready guy in the draft, ready to play right away.
Summer League Issues
Redick’s opinion of Knecht seemed to shift at the start of the 2025-26 season after watching him struggle in the Summer League. Knecht averaged 6.4 points and 1.9 rebounds, shooting 36% from three in the Las Vegas exhibition games leading up to the new NBA season.
Redick said about Knecht, “It’s the other stuff (besides offense) that he’s got to just do and find that consistency in his defense, on being the low man, or boxing out, or crashing every time, or sprinting back and actually talking in transition.”
He added, When he’s doing those things, he’s an impact player.
Redick mentioned that he had several meetings with Knecht during the offseason, encouraging him to work on certain aspects of his game to be successful in the pros.
Redick noted, “We probably met three times over the summer and met again in September, like it’s clear what he’s supposed to do.”
Those three practices, our video room, and our analytics guys, they tracked every stat in live play. He had an unbelievable three days offensively. I’m very confident that when he’s confident, he’s a high-level offensive player in the NBA.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRADE JAREN JACKSON JR. TO UTAH JAZZ IN 8-PLAYER BLOCKBUSTER
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz, creating a record $28.8 million trade exception for 2026.
The Memphis Grizzlies turned heads on Tuesday, pulling off a blockbuster trade that sent two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr to the Utah Jazz. Along with Jackson, the Grizzlies shipped out Vince Williams Jr, John Konchar, and Jock Landale. Coming back their way: Walter Clayton Jr, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and, maybe the most important part, three future first-round picks.
And honestly, it feels like Memphis isn’t done stirring the pot. Inside the organisation, they see Zach Edey and Cedric Coward as the future. Both went late in the lottery in the past two drafts, and the Grizzlies landed some value in the second round this year, too, grabbing Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer.
All this movement means Ja Morant’s future in Memphis suddenly looks shaky. He’s been the face of the franchise since they took him No. 2 overall back in 2019. When he’s healthy, he’s electric—no question. But injuries and off-court drama have slowed him down, and now, with the trade deadline closing in, the Grizzlies are openly shopping him. Teams around the league are watching.
There’s another wrinkle here: by dealing Jackson, Memphis created a massive trade exception—$28.8 million, the biggest in NBA history, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania. It’s a huge chess piece. With that exception, the Grizzlies can absorb big, ugly contracts from other teams in exchange for more draft picks. Think of what the Thunder did a few years back—stockpiling picks by taking on bad deals until they rebuilt into a contender.
Now, you’ve probably heard Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name floating around in trade rumours. He hasn’t officially asked out of Milwaukee, but everyone in the league expects something to happen soon. Teams like the Timberwolves and Knicks are circling. The Grizzlies? They’re not likely to chase Giannis directly. But with that trade exception, they could play a big role as a third team—taking on salary dumps or unwanted contracts, collecting more picks, and helping another franchise pull off the Giannis blockbuster. Memphis just put itself squarely in the middle of the NBA’s hottest rumour.
KLINT KUBIAK SNUBS NFL RIVALS TO LEAD RAIDERS’ NEW ERA UNDER TOM BRADY
The Las Vegas Raiders are zeroing in on Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their next head coach, with Tom Brady leading the search.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of a huge shakeup right now. Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, is set to become their new head coach—and honestly, he’s nothing like Pete Carroll.
Kubiak’s still in his 30s, calling plays on offence, while Carroll just wrapped up last season as the NFL’s oldest head coach. The Raiders had their eyes on Ben Johnson previous year, but when he decided to take the Bears job, they turned to Carroll instead.
This time, Las Vegas seemed to have that same level of interest in Kubiak, but they had to wait things out because Seattle was still in the playoffs. Tom Brady, who’s a minority owner with the Raiders, clearly played a big part in picking the new coach.
Since nothing’s official until after the Super Bowl, Brady can’t come right out and talk about Kubiak joining the team. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to sharing what he liked about the guy.
“Klint’s played to his team’s strengths. Last week, he did a ton of good things against a really strong Rams defence,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “That’s what it took for them to win. The Rams are a tough team. That game in Seattle could’ve gone either way... Seattle really had to play a complete game in all three phases to pull it out, and they’ll need to do the same this weekend in Santa Clara.”
Brady also talked about Fernando Mendoza.
Another big reason the Raiders’ coaching job is so appealing? They’ve got the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everyone expects them to grab Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Brady doesn’t have to be secretive about it—nobody’s jumping ahead of them in the draft. He was pretty open about how much he likes Mendoza.
“What do I value most? When I see him, he’s always talking up his teammates. He wins the Heisman, and he’s giving credit to everyone else,” Brady said. “That’s the kind of attitude you want in a leader.”
Kubiak focused on the Super Bowl, not the job switch.
Kubiak’s career is about to take off, but right now, he’s locked in on trying to win his first Super Bowl. So, he isn’t ready to talk about the Raiders just yet.
“I’m coaching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and that’s all I’m thinking about,” Kubiak told reporters on Monday. “I’m just excited for this week and this game.”
Not everyone in Seattle is thrilled to see Kubiak go. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had nothing but praise after working with him this year.
“He was unbelievable,” Darnold said Monday. “The stuff I picked up from Klint—just with schemes, and then learning from him as a coach and a person—the grit. He’s up before the sun, gets to the facility at 4 or 4:30, and leaves later than anyone. The guy just grinds. He loves football, and he’s always straight with his players. I know I really appreciated that, and so did the rest of the guys.”