"Knecht carrying on Reaves' legacy" - Lakers fans react as Dalton Knecht follows teammate's footsteps, features in billboard for online legal platform

The LA Lakers took one of the most NBA-ready rookies in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Dalton Knecht showed glimpses of strong play earlier in the season, including a 37-point explosion in November, and he looked like the steal of his class.

Now, following a failed trade and some ups and downs, the rookie out of Tennessee has found some success off the court as well. As shared by a fan on X, he's seemingly following Austin Reaves' steps by also appearing on billboards for LemonDaddy.

"Or when life gives you lemons, you get DK and AR," one fan said.

"There’s a joke about the trade in there somewhere," another one added.

"AR got his son paid," a Lakers fan added with some laughing face emojis.

"I'm calling DK and AR the Lemon Daddy duo," a fan chimed in.

"Following in the footsteps of giants," another one said.

Knecht averages 9.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 46% from the floor, but it seems like he could benefit from some more playing time.

However, given how the Lakers roster is currently constructed, that might be easier said than done.

The Lakers could still trade Dalton Knecht

Knecht slipped in the NBA Draft because of his age, but he's proven that he can be an efficient contributor. The Charlotte Hornets really liked him, but the botched trade prevented them from getting him.

Nevertheless, Eric Pinus of Bleacher Report believes that doesn't mean they won't try to get him again in the offseason, especially given how high the Lakers were on Mark Williams as well:

"The team has already shown a willingness to trade Williams, as evidenced by the rescinded trade with the Los Angeles Lakers that would have brought in Knecht and first-round picks. The goal may be to continue down that path with youth and draft compensation the goal," Pinus said.

The Hornets could use as much help as they can get on offense. They will most likely get a top 3 pick, and they could use it to land Ace Bailey or even Dylan Harper.

Whatever the case, they would still have some room for Knecht to take a leap forward with his sharpshooting skills, and the Lakers would be able to get their big man after the Anthony Davis trade.