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Lakers’ Last Two First-Round Picks Both Waived Before Finishing Rookie Deals
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- Lakers’ Last Two First-Round Picks Both Waived Before Finishing Rookie Deals
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Lakers were widely expected to part ways with forward Dalton Knecht on Monday, and that's exactly what they did. The Lakers waived Knecht to trim their roster from 16 guaranteed spots to 15 ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline.
Damningly, that decision by the Lakers meant their last two first-round picks before 2026 were both waived before their rookie deals finished. We're, of course, referring to Knecht and Jalen Hood-Schifino , and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka certainly hasn't covered himself in glory with some of his drafting.
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The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. NBA teams tend to avoid picking players who spend multiple years in college too high, which was part of why he fell.
The Lakers pounced on the opportunity, and they clearly felt Knecht, who spent three years in college, was the right fit for them at the time. The former Tennessee star was a shooter and looked like a ready-made prospect who could immediately help LeBron James and Anthony Davis in their quest to win a championship.
Knecht then shone at the start of his rookie season, and Pelinka earned praise for bringing him to the Lakers. He was hailed as the steal of the draft after famously scoring 37 points against the Utah Jazz in just his 14th NBA game.
Knecht's stock was skyrocketing, but he then hit the dreaded rookie wall and never recovered. Many believe the biggest reason we never saw him bounce back was the infamous Mark Williams saga in February 2025.
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The Lakers needed a big man at the time after parting with Davis to bring in Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks . They agreed to send Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets as part of the package for Williams.
That should likely have been the end of Knecht's time with the Lakers, but it obviously wasn't. The Lakers rescinded the Williams trade over concerns regarding his health, which brought the rookie back to Los Angeles.
For Knecht to remain a Laker all this time might not have been ideal, and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green believes it certainly wasn't. Green believes that the rescinded Hornets trade ruined him .
We didn't even see a glimpse of the old Knecht in the 2026 preseason. The 25-year-old averaged just 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game while shooting 25.0% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc.
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That's really poor, and the Lakers decided that Knecht, who was entering the third year of his rookie deal, had to go. Team insider Jovan Buha expects him to get a two-way contract now.
Jalen Hood-Schifino might love to get a two-way contract, but it doesn't look like one is going to come his way. The Lakers selected Hood-Schifino with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he made little to no impact. Knecht at least had a great start, but he didn't even have that.
Hood-Schifino struggled with some injuries during his time with the Lakers, but made no impression when he did step onto the court. Things got bad enough to the point that they declined the former Indiana star's third-year option weeks into his sophomore campaign. You knew once that happened it was only a matter of time before the two sides parted ways.
The Lakers sent Hood-Schifino to the Jazz in February 2025 as part of the Doncic trade. They received two second-round picks for agreeing to acquire the guard and then waived him days later.
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The Philadelphia 76ers then picked up Hood-Schifino on a two-way contract at the end of February, but did not bring him back for the 2025-26 season. He spent the entire campaign without a team, and his NBA career might be over.
Hood-Schifino put up just 3.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in his NBA career. It isn't harsh to call him a bust.
While Knecht and Hood-Schifino proved to be wasted picks by the Lakers, there is reason to believe they got it right in 2026. They acquired Cameron Carr via a draft-night trade with the New York Knicks , and he has shown a lot of promise so far. It would be quite a shock if Carr's fate ends up the same as Knecht and Hood-Schifino's.
