Mohamed Diawara has quickly become one of the more interesting names on the Knicks’ roster, but not necessarily because New York views him as untouchable. In fact, the logic around him may be moving in the opposite direction.
Last season, only five NBA players age 20 or younger got to at least 130 three-point attempts and hit at least 37 percent of them. Kon Knueppel looks like a future star in Charlotte, Egor Dëmin is one of Brooklyn’s few real building blocks, Bub Carrington gives Washington hope that better days are coming soon, and Kasparas Jakučionis did enough in Miami as a rookie to earn a place in the rotation even with Giannis Antetokounmpo now in town.
The other player on that list is Diawara, and unlike the others, he does not look like a rotation lock. He may actually be more useful to New York as a trade chip.
That possibility is tied less to Diawara himself than to the burden on the Knicks. If the Hornets, Nets and Wizards all end up getting swept in the first round, they can still treat the season as progress.
Miami could even bow out in the second round and still feel like it’s pointed in the right direction. The Knicks don’t get that luxury.
Anything short of repeating as champions will count as a disappointment, and that pressure is a big reason Diawara could be on the move.
New York also doesn’t have much wiggle room when it comes to trades. The cap situation and the second-apron rules make it difficult to do anything major, so the Knicks are more likely to chase a smaller deal. That means finding a way to move one of the lower salaries on the roster, and that group comes with issues other teams may not love.
Miles McBride is headed for free agency next summer. Pacome Dadiet has hit only 25% of his career threes.
Tyler Kolek’s defense has kept him on the bench for most of two years. Jordan Clarkson is 34.
Jose Alvarado brings ball-handling that nobody else on the roster really matches, while Landry Shamet offers quick-trigger shooting no one else can duplicate, so New York won’t want to create one hole while trying to fix another.
Diawara stands out as the easiest piece to move because he checks a lot of boxes. He has size and length, he beat expectations as a 20-year-old three-and-D wing, and his contract is extremely team-friendly at $10 million total over four years. That kind of player draws interest everywhere, even if only one team is thinking solely about a title run right now.
The Knicks have also kept adding shooting on the wing. This summer they drafted Tyler Nickel, brought Clarkson back even though they didn’t exactly need to, and have been linked to free agent John Konchar, another player in that mold. Earlier this week, they also traded for G League shooting prospect Mitchell Mascari.
If Diawara, whether by himself or bundled with Dadiet or McBride, can help bring back a center that improves New York’s chances of repeating, Leon Rose and most of the fanbase probably won’t spend much time worrying about what Diawara might become in 2030.
That kind of move would have looked different before the second-apron era. McBride would have been the obvious candidate then: an expiring contract and one of the league’s best bargains for years.
But Diawara has stepped into that bargain role, and he’s also seven inches taller and five years younger. For teams interested in McBride, the question is simple: why trade real value for him when they can just sign him next summer?
Diawara’s deal is even more appealing because he’ll make less over the next four years than Koa Peat, the last pick in this year’s first round. In a league full of financial traps, that kind of contract can be a lifesaver.
The Knicks have shown they can navigate those tight constraints. Their trades for Mikal Bridges and Jose Alvarado had plenty of people assuming McBride would be the casualty, and he survived both times. Diawara is easier to move than Deuce was, and he comes with more upside than most trade pieces New York could offer.
There’s also still room for the Knicks to keep developing talent around the edges. They have all three two-way contract slots open, which gives them space to take chances on players worth a look. The front office found an early second-round hit in McBride and later a late second-round gem in Diawara.
If Diawara winds up having a strong career somewhere else and his departure helps the Knicks get closer to another title, that would still count as a win for both sides.
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New York did have interest in bringing Simmons back this offseason, but the sides never got to an agreement, leaving the door cracked rather than shut. The Knicks still view him as a possible option later if circumstances change, which means his fit in New York could become a storyline again depending on how Sacramento handles the situation and whether Simmons is still available down the line. [Read more 🡒]