The Knicks have already made their stance on Pacôme Dadiet pretty clear.
On Thursday, New York announced it would not pick up Dadiet’s fourth-year option, a move that would have locked in $5.37 million for the 2027-28 season. It was an unsurprising call for a player who hasn’t carved out real minutes and has not developed into a reliable part of the rotation.
Dadiet’s name has also surfaced in trade chatter for a while, with the expectation that the Knicks would have to attach extras, including second-round picks, just to move him. In other words, his value on the open market is close to nothing.
That’s part of the reason this outcome feels like the natural end of a very specific gamble New York made on draft night. The Knicks took Dadiet with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they did it knowing exactly what it meant for their books.
Because of apron concerns, they over-drafted him and signed him to less than his slot value. Seen through that lens, this was always a possible outcome.
His rookie deal came in at a little over $13 million over four years, with the third and fourth seasons set up as club options. That meant he was guaranteed about $4.7 million across his first two years. He also signed for an under-slot number at 80 percent of the rookie scale for the 25th pick, a clear sign that New York was trying to thread the financial needle.
The problem is that Dadiet hasn’t shown enough to justify much confidence in the basketball side of the equation. Through 48 regular season games, he’s averaged 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds while shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 25.5 percent from three. The sample size isn’t massive, but the signs have been poor enough across summer league, preseason, the G League and FIBA qualifiers for the Ivory Coast that he has never looked like someone ready to become a regular NBA contributor.
There is still a path, at least technically, for Dadiet to remain with the Knicks. He could be moved before the trade deadline, and New York could also bring him back in the offseason if they choose, provided the salary stays below the value of that $5.4 million team option. Still, given how little he has played, that would be a surprise.
Even with Dadiet turning 21 just over three months ago, it’s difficult to imagine another team putting him on a standard deal next offseason. A training camp contract feels more realistic.
The larger point is that the Knicks are the reigning NBA champions, so this misfire on a 2024 first-rounder didn’t stop them from reaching the top. But if they’re going to keep building, they’ll still need young players on cost-controlled deals who can actually be counted on. Dadiet doesn’t look like one of them.
In Other News...
Knicks Just Got Another Painful Reminder Of A Brutal Miss
Kevin Knoxs latest move is another reminder of how much the Knicks have had to sift through since that 2018 draft night. The former No. 9 overall pick has signed a rest-of-season contract with Unicaja Malaga in Spains Liga ACB, adding another chapter to a career that never found real traction in New York.
Ochai Agbajis path has offered a smaller but still familiar sting for the Knicks, too. After spending training camp with the team and then being waived before the regular season, he has now landed a standard contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a clean exit that only sharpens the sense that New York let another player slip through the cracks. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Already Have A Backup Center Problem They Feared
Losing Mitchell Robinson has already forced the Knicks to rethink the middle of their rotation, and the early returns suggest the backup center spot is not as settled as they would like. Andre Drummond has provided some value in the role, but the bigger question has been how much the team can lean on James Wiseman, who has barely seen the floor and has struggled when he has gotten chances.
Mike Brown has already had to get creative with his lineups, even using OG Anunoby at center at times, which says plenty about how much uncertainty still hangs over the position. For a team that needed a dependable answer behind Robinson, the issue is not just who can fill the minutes now, but whether the current depth chart really has a trustworthy solution at all. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Sent Another Clear Signal About Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks opened another bit of financial breathing room by declining Pacome Dadiets team option, a move that clears $5.4 million in space under next years second apron. It is the kind of roster housekeeping that can look minor on the surface, but in the NBA it often says plenty about where a team expects to spend its money next.
For New York, the signal is hard to miss: the front office is keeping its options open for a potential Karl-Anthony Towns extension while still trying to preserve flexibility elsewhere on the roster. Deuce McBride remains part of that balancing act, and the Knicks are clearly working through how to keep the core intact without boxing themselves in under the cap. [Read more 🡒]