Dalton Knecht's release from the Los Angeles Lakers officially brought his time with the team to an end after only two seasons. That much right there is a clear admittance of the selection being a failure for Rob Pelinka. It only gets worse when being reminded of what the Lakers could have had.
The 2024 NBA Draft was billed as a weaker class ahead of the selections being made. That much has mostly been true. Even then, there were solid role players and contributors available for the taking everywhere. The Lakers missed out on a bunch by drafting Knecht.
Always a tough thing to look back on for the Lakers. It was made especially more painful after they released Dalton Knecht pic.twitter.com/FrR98P9DGN
— Svyatoslav Rovenchuk (@JJBuckets17) October 20, 2026
Had Pelinka taken any of the next four guys who were drafted after 17th overall, they would have secured themselves someone who could still be in their rotation today. Tristan Da Silva, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jaylon Tyson, and Yves Missi followed at 18, 19, 20, and 21 in that order.
Each of those guys have turned into real NBA players with their respective teams. Any of them could fill a need and function for the Lakers today. All of this leaves an even deeper feeling of regret after watching Knecht get released as a casualty of finalizing the roster ahead of NBA Opening Night.
Tristan Da Silva, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jaylon Tyson, and Yves Missi could all be playing roles for the Lakers
Let us go in order of when each player was selected.
Da Silva had a modest rookie year with the Orlando Magic. In his second season, improved 3-point efficiency turned him into a reliable role player beside their stars. The Magic forward is fundamentally sound across the board, and has filled in as a starter adequately when it was asked of him.
Walter, meanwhile, has been flirting with the 3-and-D label during his time with the Toronto Raptors. The former Baylor wing was not necessarily billed as a premier defender when entering the draft, but has developed quite well with the Raptors in that regard. Seeing how sustainable the 3-point success is moving forward will answer just how big of a bag Toronto is forced to use if they want to retain him.
Speaking of successful deep-ball shooters, Tyson had a breakout season in his second year with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs wing ranked fourth in the entire NBA with a 3-point percentage of 44.6 in 2025-26. His defense can still be inconsistent and foul-prone, but there is strong upside for him overall.
Lastly, you have Missi. The young big man is imperfect but he is still someone who should be capable of carving out a role for himself as backup in the NBA for the foreseeable future. The Lakers have quietly called about Yves on multiple occasions, too. The New Orleans Pelicans rebuffed the interest every time.
Any of those guys could have been great fits in Los Angeles. There is no guarantee they would have developed exactly the same way for the Lakers. However, not even having the chance to know does sting after willingly giving Knecht his walking papers on Monday.
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