The Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, but after a messy two short years with the team, he was cut before the new season began, marking yet another draft miss from Rob Pelinka and the front office.
While things never seemed to work between the Lakers and Knecht, as the franchise attempted to trade him multiple times and he didn’t turn out to be the prospect they hoped for, according to a new report, the team nearly saved themselves from all the mess he caused and almost got one of the best young role players in the NBA today instead.
Per team reporter Jovan Buha, the Lakers almost picked Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva over Knecht, and looking back on the decision, Los Angeles might feel like they made the wrong mistake drafting a player who isn’t even on the roster just 28 months later.
Lakers Nearly Landed Tristan Da Silva Over Dalton Knecht
As Buha stated in the latest episode of his show, the Lakers were seriously looking to pick da Silva out of the University of Colorado Boulder with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“The funny thing with Tristan da Silva is he was one of the guys the Lakers were considering with the Dalton pick,” Buha said when discussing a trade idea for the Orlando wing. “He’s making $3.9 million (this season), that’s insane value.”
Instead, da Silva went a pick later to the Magic, where he’s quietly become one of the strongest young role players in the NBA, playing behind star forwards Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, and putting up some solid numbers through his first two seasons in the league.
Da Silva earned All-Pac 12 First Team honors in 2022-23 and Second Team honors in 2023-24, averaging roughly 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal on nearly 50/40/80 shooting splits in those two years. He was the leading player on a Colorado team that made the March Madness tournament multiple times, and he is one of a few players to come out of the program to be drafted in the NBA over the past few years.
Knecht, opposingly, had a greater statistical college career, as he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 39.7% three-point shooting during his lone standout season playing at Tennessee.
In the moment, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka felt like it was the right decision to take Knecht over da Silva.
“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and perfect for our needs would be there for us [at No. 17] as Dalton Knecht,” he said in 2024. “We had him as a Top 10 player unanimously across our scouting boards.”
Well, Pelinka might feel that way right now, as da Silva is still putting up strong numbers with the Magic, and the Lakers cut Knecht from the roster before the new NBA season began.
Comparing The 2024 Draft Picks In The NBA Right Now
Just by looking at the numbers, the Lakers made a mistake picking Knecht over da Silva.
Along with the fit of the latter likely being better, as he’s a lengthy 3-and-D wing who offers the exact type of skill set Los Angeles was looking for all summer, he’s continuously proven that he’ll end with a more successful career than Knecht.
In his rookie season with the Magic, da Silva averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 74 games, including 38 starts. Knecht put up 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 78 games and 16 starts. Last year, however, is where things started to change. Da Silva averaged 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals on 45/37.4/88.4 shooting splits in 77 games, 34 starts. Knecht saw a drop in performance, with numbers of 4.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in just 54 games in just 10.4 minutes per appearance.
A trend started to show last season, and heading into the new year, it’s clear the Lakers made the wrong decision to draft Knecht over da Silva.
The Magic forward is putting up a career-high 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and two assists on 38.5% from deep in 28 minutes per game. With the Magic now dealing with injuries to Banchero and now Jalen Suggs, there’s a strong chance da Silva joins the starting lineup once again, as he continues to look like the type of role player that contributes to winning on both sides of the ball.
Conversely, the Lakers waived Knecht right before the season after several failed trade attempts and the notion that he wasn’t going to get any playing time this year. After spending a few days as a free agent, he signed with the New York Knicks on a two-way contract, where he’s expected to play in the G League before maybe getting some reserve minutes on the defending champion roster.
A little over two years into the careers of both da Silva and Knecht, it’s fair to say the Lakers and Pelinka were wrong in their 2024 draft-day decision.
Los Angeles could use a player like da Silva on the roster right now, as his $3.9 million salary for a solid 3-and-D wing role player would be a perfect addition playing alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler, at least compared to what Knecht was bringing to the table.
As Buha mentioned, perhaps the Lakers could trade for da Silva, but considering his value right now on the Magic, that might be tough, regardless of how much the Purple and Gold could use another shooting forward.
Lakers Nearly Landed Award-Winning 3-And-D Wing Over Dalton Knecht: Report