The Knicks are the reigning champions after ending a 53-year title drought, and their payroll now has almost no wiggle room. A new post from Eddie Presti points to a simple fix: trade Pacome Dadiet and take no salary back.
Dadiet is a 21-year-old forward taken in the 2024 first round. He has not earned a steady role in New York, and his $2.98 million salary takes up space the Knicks could use on a veteran.
Can the Knicks Trade Pacome Dadiet Without Taking Salary Back?
Presti posted the idea on X: “NY can trade Pacôme Dadiet’s $2.98M salary into a TPE without taking salary back.”
NY can trade Pacôme Dadiet’s $2.98M salary into a TPE without taking salary back.
Potential partners include Charlotte, Memphis, Milwaukee, Dallas, OKC, Cleveland, Utah, Detroit, Houston, Denver, Washington, Sacramento &
A TPE, short for traded player exception, is a credit some teams hold after earlier trades. It lets them take a player’s salary without sending any back. So the Knicks would hand Dadiet over and their books would shrink right away.
Presti named 13 possible partners, including Charlotte, Memphis, Milwaukee, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Cleveland, Utah, Detroit, Houston, Denver, Washington, Sacramento and Portland are also on his list.
Presti’s math is simple. With Dadiet gone, New York would sit about $6.26 million under the second apron. That is enough room for two veteran minimum contracts, so the Knicks could keep two camp players instead of one.
Knicks fans have already seen how much one roster spot can matter. Last year, Landry Shamet won the final spot in camp, became a key part of the title run, and re-signed this offseason on a four-year deal.
Why Would the Knicks Trade Pacome Dadiet?
Owner James Dolan has said he will not push the payroll past the second apron, the line with the toughest penalties. Right now the Knicks have 13 players on standard deals and just over $3 million of room, enough for one more.
Five veterans are fighting for that one spot on non-guaranteed deals: Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji, James Wiseman, John Konchar and Drew Eubanks. Brown won a title with Denver in 2023 and may have the edge.
Center depth is the other need. Tommy Beer of Knicks Centric sees Wiseman and Eubanks battling for the third-string job behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. Wiseman was the No. 2 pick in 2020.
Then there is Dadiet himself. He averaged 1.7 points in 29 games last season, playing under five minutes a night. He scored 22.2 points a game in the G League, but the NBA minutes never came.
A team may want a second-round pick as a sweetener. The Sixers had to attach one to move a young player this summer, and the Knicks picked up extra seconds in their 2026 draft-night trades.
No deal has been reported yet. Dadiet’s $2.98 million is the clearest way for New York to open a second spot, and a second-round pick may be the cost. Training camp will show if the Knicks want that.
Knicks Proposed to Trade Pacôme Dadiet in Surprise Roster Move