Dalton Knecht just got waived by the Lakers, and get this: it’s happening a day before the 2026-27 NBA season even tips off. That’s a brutal blow, but it’s really just the latest gut punch for a 2024 NBA draft class that has been a total mess from jump street. We’re talking about the class where even the No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, has already been dealt.
This 2024 Draft Class Just Keeps Getting Worse
Look, we all knew coming into this thing that the 2024 class felt… different. It lacked that consensus, blue-chip talent that we saw in 2023 with Victor Wembanyama, who’s already considered the best player on the planet, or the tank-worthy 2025 class for Cooper Flagg, or even the 2026 class that’s got everyone buzzing about its potential to be one of the greatest ever. The 2024 draft, on paper, was underwhelming from the start. And through two seasons, the data is just screaming that it was even worse than we thought.
Four lottery picks from that class are already gone, traded away. That includes Risacher, the *first overall pick*, which is just wild to think about. He’s only one of three No. 1 overall picks this century to be traded before the start of his third season, and let’s just say, he’s not in prestigious company. Remember Anthony Bennett from 2013? Traded after just 52 games. Risacher is right there with him. On top of that, Kel’el Ware, the No. 15 pick, and Jared McCain, the No. 16 pick, have also been traded. And now, Knecht, who showed some real promise at Tennessee in 2023-24 as a potential draft riser, is just cut loose by the Lakers. This dude was in trade rumors since his rookie year, even had a botched deal at the 2024 deadline that would’ve sent him to the Hornets for Mark Williams. It’s a rough scene.
Are There Any Bright Spots in This Disaster?
Okay, so this class isn’t exactly producing Hall of Famers left and right, we get it. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There *have* been some flashes of brilliance. Stephon Castle, for example, looks like a legitimate star out there; he even cracked the CBS Sports Top 100 at No. 40. We’ve also got some serious starting-level bigs in Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr (who’s No. 94 on that same list), and Zach Edey. Matas Buzelis? You probably put him top 5 in a re-draft today.
But the real, undisputed steal of the draft has to be Ajay Mitchell. The Thunder guard was an absolute star in the 2026 playoffs and landed at No. 86 on the CBS Sports Top 100 list. It’s wild to think that Sarr, Castle, and Mitchell are the *only* members of this entire 2024 draft class who actually made that list. That right there tells you everything you need to know about the kind of uncertainty swirling around this class. It’s definitely going to be a cautionary tale for the next summer’s draft.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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