The Knicks have been circling trade chatter for a while now, with a few different names floating through the noise. Karl-Anthony Towns and the team went through a very public negotiation that ultimately fell apart, which opened the door to possible trade packages.
Josh Hart still hasn’t signed an extension, and his awkward fit in the starting five has sparked trade questions at times, even with his importance to the roster and his connection to Jalen Brunson. Miles McBride is heading toward free agency, and speculation about his future has been around for some time.
Jose Alvarado and Tyler Kolek also look more redundant than ever, which could leave one of them as the odd man out.
But there’s one player the fan base, and probably the organization too, seems to agree on: Pacome Dadiet.
The Knicks would like to move off Dadiet’s contract and use that roster spot on someone who can actually help them chase another championship. That could mean a veteran, a bigger wing, a shooting big, or another versatile piece in the Bruce Brown mold, the kind of player the Knicks were high on during preseason.
On Sunday, though, they got a blunt reminder of where Dadiet stands around the league. The Thunder, looking for a young wing after the injuries they’ve dealt with this season, sent out two of their 15 upcoming second-round picks to land Nique Clifford from the Kings.
It was a strong piece of business for Oklahoma City. They had originally dealt Clifford’s rights to Sacramento in a package that brought back a protected first-round pick, and now they’ve gotten the promising second-year wing back for two second-rounders. Sacramento also at least salvaged something for a player who wasn’t in the rotation at all, even if giving up a protected first-round pick for that return isn’t ideal.
For the Knicks, though, this was the kind of move they would have loved to make. Leon Rose, who pulled off one of last season’s biggest steals by essentially getting Jose Alvarado for Guerschon Yabusele and two future second-round picks, would clearly love a scenario where he could move Dadiet and even bring back two second-rounders in the process.
If a deal even close to that had been on the table, there’s no doubt Rose would have jumped at it. Instead, the Knicks are left watching from the outside, seeing the market confirm their concerns.
Clifford is the better player right now, but Dadiet may still have the higher ceiling despite his underwhelming NBA production. That didn’t matter to the Thunder, and it hasn’t mattered to anyone else either.
Dadiet is available, yet there hasn’t been any real buzz around him. And it’s not hard to see why.
He has played in only 49 games in his career and is averaging 1.7 PPG in 5.2 MPG.
Part of that comes down to opportunity. The 21-year-old has spent his career on a deep, talented team that has been in championship contention the whole way and eventually won it all. He also played for Tom Thibodeau, who has a reputation for leaning heavily on veterans and keeping young players on the bench.
Still, the lack of growth outside of regular-season minutes has raised eyebrows. Dadiet got a fair look earlier this year as the Knicks tried to show him, and any potential suitors, something.
But it didn’t lead anywhere. He hasn’t stood out in any of the three Summer Leagues he’s played in.
He didn’t do much with his preseason chances. And he was also disappointing while representing the Ivory Coast during the FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers this past summer.
Maybe a team takes a late-year flier on him. He is still only 21 and just two years removed from being a first-round pick.
But Clifford going to the Thunder with no Knicks involvement was more than just a missed chance. It was another sign that Dadiet’s value around the league is not where New York would like it to be.
In Other News...
James Dolan May Be Standing In The Knicks' Way Again
Karl-Anthony Towns irritation over not having a contract extension appears to be aimed less at the Knicks basketball operations staff than at owner James Dolan, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The backdrop here is straightforward enough: New York has been working through the realities of a pricey roster, and the extension conversation has become part of that larger picture as the team tries to balance present ambition with future flexibility.
Dolans reluctance to push the Knicks into the NBAs second salary cap apron has added another layer to the discussion, with the concern centered on roster-building restrictions rather than simple spending. The Athletic piece lays out how those second-apron rules can limit what a team can do, while also noting that New York is already living with some of those constraints because of its current salary situation, which makes the extension question feel less like a routine negotiation and more like a test of how far the franchise is willing to go. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Bigger Karl-Anthony Towns Decision Than Fans Realize
The Knicks have already put a big number on the table for Karl-Anthony Towns, with a reported offer in the $45 million to $50 million per year range, but there still is not an extension in place. For a team that has spent recent seasons trying to build around star power, the hesitation says as much about long-term planning as it does about Towns himself.
New York is weighing more than just the immediate fit. The front office is wary of locking into another expensive deal that could age badly as stars get older, especially with salary cap rules making every major commitment harder to unwind. The result is a familiar Knicks balancing act, one that could shape not only Towns' future but the flexibility of the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Keep Finding Bargains And Jordan Clarkson Is Proving Why
The Knicks have made a habit of squeezing real value out of the margins, and Jordan Clarkson is the latest example. On a veterans minimum deal, he has been one of their most productive players this season and has even led the team in plus/minus through its first nine games, a reminder that bargain contracts can carry real weight when the roster is built the right way.
Landry Shamet offered a similar blueprint last season, arriving on a non-guaranteed deal before turning that opportunity into a multi-year contract after helping in the playoffs. In a salary cap era where every usable rotation piece matters, New York has shown it can uncover players who outperform the price tag, and Clarkson is giving that approach another boost. [Read more 🡒]