Charles Barkley slams NBA GMs for making 'stupidest' move to starve Lakers of young players

The NBA returned to action on Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers picked up victories in their season openers. But more importantly, the best studio show in sports, Within the NBAalso returned and, as always, the legendary crew picked up right where they left off.

While Shaquille O'Neal gave a heartfelt message to Bronny James after the Lakers' game, Charles Barkley gave a message to the Lakers' GMs before the NBA opener.

Barkley appears to be a big fan of Lakers rookie guard Dalton Knecht. The former University of Tennessee star slipped up in the draft last April and the Lakers were more than happy to land the 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year with the No. 17 pick.

Barkley criticized the NBA GMs for allowing this to happen:

“These NBA general managers have no idea what they’re doing,” Barkley said. “Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. That's a bad boy. Dalton Knecht: Remember that name, y’all.”

Knecht scored five points in 16 minutes in his NBA debut against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, but looked very comfortable on the court. We'll have to wait and see if he can live up to Barkley's hype, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he does just that.