Before the New York Knicks signed Andre Drummond, they were monitoring the availability of Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
They have no reason to stop said monitoring now.
Yes, in light of Mitchell Robinson’s exit, Drummond arms the Knicks with a warm body to roll out when Karl-Anthony Towns catches a breather. But even with a corner three-pointer in his arsenal, he remains far from matchup-proof—particularly on the defensive end.
As things currently stand, New York will need to invest in more OG Anunoby-at-the-5 lineups. While that is somewhat appealing, it’s not an arrangement you want to treat as a crutch. Landing Diabate would guarantee it doesn’t come to that.
Moussa Diabate would immediately usurp Andre Drummond in the rotation
Drummond has the deeper offensive arsenal when accounting for his three-ball and post moves. But his outside touch comes on minimal volume, and he’s not a trustworthy option down low.
Diabate is the cleaner fit as someone who plays more within himself. He is already a better screener and roller than Drummond, and does a superior job finishing through contact. Diabate converted 71 percent of his looks at the rim last season. Drummond made just 54 percent of his shots at the hoop, the second-worst mark of his career.
Both bigs are imposing offensive rebounders, but Charlotte’s 24-year-old has the edge as a passer. He is better equipped to make decisions in short-roll positions, and just ranked in the 77th percentile of assist-to-usage ratio. Drummond has only ranked north of the 50th percentile twice his entire career.
It isn’t a contest anymore on defense, either. Drummond has the bigger, burlier body. Diabate is far more mobile. According to BBall Index, he spent more time guarding non-bigs last year than Drummond, and still managed to contest more shots at the rim per 100 possessions (11.2) than his elder counterpart (9.6.).
The Knicks might actually have enough to trade for Diabate
Going after Diabate gets even more appealing when looking at his $2.5 million salary for next season. The Knicks can match that by sending out Pacome Dadiet’s $3 million could-be expiring contract (2027-28 team option), and draft compensation.
Hammering out the latter is where things get complicated. Diabate isn’t nearly good enough to justify surrendering New York’s lone tradeable first-round pick in 2033, and Charlotte’s front office has already shown it’s not in the business of selling low.
At the same time, Diabate is an unrestricted free agent next summer. That to some degree diminishes his value–not just to the Knicks, but to every possible suitor.
New York’s flurry of action around the draft has armed team president Leon Rose with plenty of second-rounders to dangle. Though the Hornets have gobs of those themselves, they’ve also pivoted back into a more gradual timeline. Diabate’s impending free agency could convince them to act. Especially with Naz Reid and 14th overall pick Hannes Steinbach in tow, and reserve big Ryan Kalkbrenner under contract through 2028-29 for less than 1.5 percent of the salary cap.
The Knicks were beyond wise to contact Charlotte about Diabate before signing Drummond. Even after landing the soon-to-be 33-year-old, those check-ins shouldn’t stop now.
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