Dalton Knecht waived by Lakers: Why the 2024 draft class was doomed from the start (and the No. 1 pick)

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Between those draft classes, you have the 2024 Draft. In the months leading up to the event, it was, at least on paper, viewed as an underwhelming class compared with previous years and the drafts to follow. It lacked both consensus and blue-chip talent, unlike the top of the 2023, 2025, and 2026 classes.

Through the first two seasons, the data doesn’t lie. Four lottery picks from the class have already been traded, including No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Kel’el Ware and Jared McCain, the No. 15 and 16 picks in the draft, respectively, were also traded, albeit for different reasons.

And Dalton Knecht, who showed promise during his lone season at Tennessee in 2023-24 as a potential draft riser, was waived by the Lakers on Monday, according to ESPN. Knecht had been in trade rumors since his rookie season, which included a botched trade at the 2024 trade deadline that would’ve seen him go to the Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams.

While yes, this class hasn’t exactly been Hall of Fame-worthy, there have been some bright spots. Stephon Castle looks like a legitimate star. Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr, and Zach Edey are all starting-level bigs in the NBA. Matas Buzelis would probably go top 5 in a re-draft.

And you can’t forget about the steal of the draft: Ajay Mitchell. The Thunder guard was one of the stars of the 2026 playoffs and checked in at No. 86 in our CBS Sports Top 100 NBA player list. Sarr (No. 94), Castle (No. 40), and Mitchell were the lone members of the 2024 draft class who cracked the list.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the class, let’s dive into what went wrong, what’s next, and why this class can be a cautionary tale for next summer’s draft.

Only three No. 1 overall picks this century have been traded before the start of their third NBA season. Risacher is one of them, and he isn’t in exactly prestigious company.

Risacher wasn’t exactly a can’t-miss prospect. The 6-foot-8 wing had the archetype and upside as a shooter that NBA decision-makers covet, but it just didn’t work for him in Atlanta. After a promising rookie season during which he averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and shot 35.5% from the 3-point line on 4.6 attempts per game, his overall volume decreased as a sophomore.

During the first round of the playoffs against the Knicks, Risacher found himself out of the rotation after Game 1 and played just 22 total minutes across three games. The writing was on the wall, given Atlanta’s plethora of players at the same position, and Risacher was be the odd man out.

Now, Risacher will try to revive his career in his second act with the Mavericks. If there is any consolation prize, new Mavericks coach Dusty May has experience working with jumbo lineups, which could bode well for Risacher. During his final season at Michigan, May started three frontcourt players: Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Yaxel Lendeborg. The year before that, Michigan was the only team in college basketball that started two 7-footers: Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin.

Zaccharie Risacher 18 PTS (8-12 FG, 2-3 FT), 5 REB, 4 AST vs. HawksAlready looking so much more confident pic.twitter.com/MVfTgKqc2K

May unlocked the best in that trio and helped those players become lottery picks. With Wolf and Goldin, Michigan went from the bottom of the Big Ten to the Sweet 16 in May’s first season at the high-major level. In Dallas’ final preseason game, May rolled out an even larger starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Risacher, Flagg, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford.

While it’s unclear if Risacher will be a long-term option at the 2 in that lineup, May’s experience working with unorthodox lineups could bode well for the former No. 1 overall pick to establish a clear-cut role heading into his third NBA season.

On Nov. 19, 2023, Knecht had a breakout performance against the Utah Jazz in the NBA Cup, knocking down nine 3-pointers and finishing with 37 points in 38 minutes during a dramatic 124-118 win. That moment should’ve been viewed as a coming-out party that established him as a key member of L.A.’s rotation for years to come.

Instead, it was the beginning of the end. Less than three months later, Knecht was included in a trade package — alongside picks — to land Mark Williams from Charlotte. The trade came days after the Lakers stunned the NBA world by acquiring Luka Dončić in a deal that sent Anthony Davis back to Dallas. The trade for Williams — which cost the Lakers their promising rookie — was to give Dončić a long-term answer at the center position.

But the trade was rescinded days later after Williams failed a physical exam with the Lakers. From that moment on, Knecht’s career and outlook with the Lakers were murky at best. He has been a constant fixture in the trade rumor mill since almost being traded to Charlotte and has floated in and out of the Lakers’ rotation.

On the days before the 2024 Draft, I thought Knecht being a top 10 pick was one of the lone guarantees from a class with plenty of unknowns. Knecht was the best transfer in college basketball during the 2023-24 season and established himself as one of the top shot creators and shooters in the class. On draft night, though, Knecht slid all the way to pick No. 17. At the time, he was considered one of the steals of the year. Knecht did struggle in summer league weeks later, but the signs from the start of his rookie year backed up the claim that he would outperform his draft slot.

After appearing in just 54 games (and averaging just over 10 minutes per contest), that no longer appears to be the case. When asked about Knecht’s future ahead of the Lakers’ final preseason game, JJ Redick was blunt when asked what had changed since his rookie season.

“I think the biggest thing is the team changed,” Redick said last week. “The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years. I think, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the injuries we had. I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”

From the first top 20 picks of the 2024 Draft, seven players have been traded or cut. However, there is no one-size-fits-all reason why a team decided to trade said player.

One notable player who is set to be on his team’s roster on Opening Night is former No. 6 pick Tidjane Salaün. The Hornets needed to cut one player to reach the 15-man roster limit and decided to waive veteran guard Pat Connaughton instead. Salaün was projected to go late-lottery on draft night. Instead, Charlotte selected him with the No. 6 pick. The phrase “two years away from being two years away” applies to Salaün, although he has shown signs of growth throughout his career. He is still just 21, but it’s still a long shot that he plays meaningful minutes for the Hornets this season.

Our CBS Sports Top 100 rankings tell the story about the stars of this class. Castle is part of a title contender with the Spurs and has the claim as the best — and most accomplished — player in the class so far. Mitchell, though, looks primed for a larger role with Oklahoma City this season and has legit breakout potential after a fantastic postseason.

Sarr looks like an ideal fit alongside Anthony Davis in Washington’s frontcourt. His calling card in the pre-draft process was his defense, and he has certainly met expectations on that front: he averaged 2 blocks and 0.8 steals last season and could be in line to increase those numbers this season.

Another player in this class who has flown under the radar is Jaylen Wells. The former second-round pick — who was selected right after Mitchell — started 69 games for Memphis last season and averaged 12.5 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 rebounds. Notably, Wells was the lone second-round pick to land on an All-Rookie team.

The player to keep an eye on this season is Sheppard, who was thrown into a larger role last season after Fred VanVleet suffered a season-ending torn ACL weeks before the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Sheppard appeared in all 82 regular-season games and made 21 starts. He also started five of Houston’s six playoff games, but averaged just under 30% from the 3-point line on 54 total attempts.

Reed Sheppard 16 PTS (6-10 FG, 4-7 3P), 1 AST, 1 REB, 1 STL, +12 in 19 minutes vs. MavsCan’t lie I did not recognize him at first pic.twitter.com/HWY4azGXXM

Sheppard’s calling card coming out of Kentucky was his shooting. He was arguably the best 3-point shooter in college basketball during his lone college season. He did take strides from his rookie season (33.8%) to his sophomore year (39.4%) in the NBA from beyond the arc, but his first two seasons have been inconsistent for a former top-three pick.

With Houston getting VanVleet back, it should take some of the pressure off Sheppard, but this will be an important year, as he is eligible for a rookie-scale extension next summer.

Major lottery reform is coming to the NBA this season. The new 3-2-1 format is designed to combat tanking and make the regular season more competitive after an epic tank race last season that saw the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies and Bulls jump into the top four.

There are plenty of unknowns about how the 2027 NBA Draft will ultimately stack up, but the early returns suggest NBA fans and teams should keep an eye on 2028 as the class that will be worth being “bad” for. Names to know for 2027 include Kansas’ Tyran Stokes, Arkansas’ Jordan Smith Jr. and Arizona’s Caleb Holt. All great players, but it will be hard to rival what we witnessed last year —and even in 2025 — as far as draft classes go.

Does that mean the 2027 Draft will have the same lack of consensus as 2024? Maybe. It’s far too early to tell. Stokes is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class heading into the season. However, if Duke big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje were eligible for the 2027 Draft — and he’s not because he doesn’t meet the draft’s age requirement — the 7-foot-2 forward would be the consensus top-ranked prospect.

After back-to-back stacked draft classes, this upcoming draft could rival the 2024 class, but it’s far too early to tell. The teams that got lottery luck in 2025 and 2026 should be thanking their lucky stars. The Hawks, unfortunately, won the lottery in a draft class that probably only stacks up to 2013.

It’s why Risacher is already on a new team and several others in the class have been traded. The 2024 class was set up to fail from the jump, and history suggests it might not get much better.