Dalton was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 17th overall pick, and signed on July 2, 2024.

Dalton appeared in 103 Division 1 games (79 starts), averaging 16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes. He scored in double figures in 75 games, including 38 games with 20+ points, 11 games with 30+ points and one 40-point performance. He played at the University of Northern Colorado from 2021-23, before transferring to the University of Tennessee where he was named First-Team All American, SEC Player of the Year, Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year, First-Team All-SEC and finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, and Lute Olson National Player of the Year honors.

Dalton is the son of Corey and Carrie Knecht. He was born in Fargo, N.D., and went to high school at Prairie View in Henderson, Colorado. He played at Northeastern Junior College for two seasons (2019-21) where he was named to the NJCAA Division 1 All-America first Team after averaging a team-high 23.9 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.