The Knicks have a roster crunch on their hands, and Pacome Dadiet keeps coming up as the name most likely to move.
Training camp is underway, and New York still needs to open up space for the veterans it just signed.
A new report from insider Stefan Bondy sheds light on just how hard that search has already gotten. It turns out the Knicks have been quietly working the phones on this for months, and the picture is not pretty.
What The New Knicks Trade Report Says About Dadiet
Here is what Bondy wrote, via the New York Post:
“Dadiet has no value…Knicks would need to attach draft capital to get rid of his expiring contract…Tried to trade for Hornets C Moussa Diabate in offseason but according to a source Hornets didn’t want Dadiet.”
More Knicks possible moves from @SbondyNBA: t.co/HSZ22fAHm0
That single post lays out New York’s whole problem. Dadiet’s $2.98 million salary is manageable on its own, but nobody wants him for nothing. If the Knicks want him gone, they will likely need to sweeten the deal with a pick.
Diabate has been the name Knicks fans keep hearing all summer. He’s 24, cheap at $2.4 million, and fresh off a breakout year in Charlotte. He fits what Brown needs, but the Hornets see no reason to give up someone they view as replacement level.
And Dadiet has not helped his own case. The 21-year-old French forward averaged just 1.7 points in 29 games last season, playing under five minutes a night. His G League numbers look nothing like his NBA ones, and Summer League did not help either.
Why the Knicks Still Need to Move Dadiet Before the Season
New York’s title defense leaves almost no financial wiggle room. The Knicks are hovering near the second apron and want to keep Bruce Brown, Drew Eubanks and the rest of their camp signings. That math needs a roster spot to open.
Other options exist beyond Charlotte. Chicago has cap room and an open roster spot. Brooklyn has also been floated, since a crosstown rival with space could absorb Dadiet for a second-round sweetener. Neither path is guaranteed, but they give New York somewhere to turn.
If none of those trades come together, New York has a fallback. The Knicks could trade Dadiet’s $2.98 million into a trade exception, taking no player back. That still clears his cap hit and opens the roster spot without needing another team to want him.
Training camp opened this week in Tarrytown, and the roster crunch is real. Dadiet, Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji and John Konchar are all fighting for what may only be one remaining spot.
For now, Dadiet stays a Knick. Charlotte passing on him means New York needs a new plan, whether that’s another trade partner or the exception route, before the regular season tips off.
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