The three-point shooting percentage is 20.6%! Is Knecter’s best option to change teams? The Lakers may face a lot of losses

On October 16, well-known Lakers reporter Buha talked about Knecter on a podcast. So far in the preseason, Knecter's shooting percentage is 30.4% and his three-point shooting percentage is 20.6%. His condition is quite bad. Many fans have begun to question this young man.

"I understand the sentiment of fans. Knecter's performance is indeed unsatisfactory," Buha said. "Although the sample size of his sluggish three-point shooting rate is relatively small, the time span is long enough. From February to now, covering the regular season, summer league and preseason, the problem is persistent."

"I don't want to speculate on the specific reasons for his poor performance, but it is undeniable that the experience of being traded and the garbage of chasing dreams The words may have had an impact on him. Once this kind of labeling impression is formed, opponents may use similar remarks to disturb him, which is not a small challenge to his mental state. Mark Williams was quickly traded to the Suns and did not have to face this kind of pressure for a long time, while Knecht stayed in the original environment and was in a more difficult situation. "

Buha admitted that for Knecht, the best option at this stage may be to "change a team and start over." For example, joining a small-market team like the Hornets and serving as a substitute scorer in an environment of low attention and low expectations - whether it is the Southeastern Division, the Central Division, or teams like Portland and Utah, can allow him to "cool down" and get rid of the current negative cycle.

However, Buha also said that the real problem is that trading Knect will cause the Lakers to face a lot of losses. "His trade value has dropped significantly. If they want to send him away, the Lakers may need additional assets; and his salary is low, making it difficult to exchange for influential players. At most, they can only get players at the rookie contract level. Unless other teams can obtain additional benefits, they are unlikely to give up existing players for Knecht."

Judging from the preseason status alone, Knecht is undoubtedly in a "downward trend." Although he has had occasional bright spots in rebounding and playmaking, and his shot selection has improved slightly, Buha said he doesn't see a good fit with the team.

Next, the Lakers will also face a real problem. Will Knecter's third-year contract option be implemented? Will the Lakers hesitate?

Talking about this issue, Buha said that the Lakers may indeed be hesitant. From the perspective of the outside world, "not executing the third-year option" is almost a "death sentence" for the players-it is equivalent to announcing to the outside world that "the team no longer trusts you." Whether it is a subsequent trade or letting them leave the team freely, it will cause a blow to the player's image.

More importantly, this will directly affect Knecter's transaction value: on the one hand, the label of "not trusted by the parent team" will reduce the interest of other teams; on the other hand, if Knecter enters the free market early, the receiver will not be able to lock in a long-term contract through the "team option", and the attractiveness of the transaction will be further reduced.

Therefore, from the perspective of "maintaining the player's image" and "preserving transaction value", the Lakers will most likely implement Knect's third-year option in order to maintain the attribute of "team-friendly contract".

If you only look at the "match between performance and strength", Knecht may not be worthy of this contract. But for the Lakers, the rational choice is the "execution option", and they hope that Knecter's subsequent performance will rebound to increase his transaction value.