The 2023 NBA Draft featured Victor Wembanyama, who many already consider the best player in the world. The 2025 Draft had an epic tank battle to "Capture the Flagg" in order to secure Cooper Flagg. And of course, the 2026 Draft — despite none of the players playing a single regular-season minute yet — has the potential to go down as one of the greatest classes in NBA history.
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.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
