Many might believe Bruce Brown would be on the New York Knicks right now if Pacome Dadiet had any trade value. His lack of development has left him buried on the depth chart, which makes it harder to move him. And dumping his salary was critical to affording another veteran-minimum contract.
Yet, as it turns out, this idea that Dadiet was immovable or required too many sweeteners to dump is officially flawed.
Writing for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer reports that teams expect to receive the equivalent of one second-round pick “every $5 million in salary (or thereabouts) absorbed via trade in the current landscape.” Translation: Finding a new home for Dadiet was never a true obstacle.
Earning around $3 million this season, the 21-year-old falls well under the $5 million threshold. The Knicks also stockpiled enough second-rounders at the draft to trade, like, five different Dadiets.
Salary-dumping calculations can change based on the length of a contract. That isn’t a roadblock with Dadiet, either. He has a team option for 2027-28 that must be exercised by the end of October. Another team could have viewed him as an expiring contract, and either waived him upon arrival or let him come off the books after this season.
This raises a leading question: If the Knicks could trade Dadiet to make room for Brown (or someone else), why didn’t they? The answer is fairly clear. They have bigger plans—and given he's yet to play this season, those plans definitely don't involve keeping him.
Keeping Pacome Dadiet for now increases the Knicks’ trade options
Anyone reading between the lines knew, not-so-deep down, the Knicks wouldn’t dumb Pacome Dadiet just to create the room for another veteran-minimum contract. They have too much riding on him as a trade chip for another move down the line.
For starters, Dadiet is one of only three non-starters on the roster that will be trade-eligible before December. He joins a list that includes Deuce McBride, and Tyler Kolek.
Even more importantly, Dadiet is a better salary-matching tool than a veteran minimum. That player would’ve counted for under $2.5 million in a trade, just like Jordan Clarkson and James Wiseman eventually will. At around $3 million, Dadiet is on the ledger for over $500,000 more.
That difference is negligible in a vacuum, but substantial to the Knicks. They continue to straddle razor-thin financial lines beneath the second apron. Since they can’t take back more money than they receive, Dadiet’s extra $500,000 goes a long way.
The Knicks have bigger plans for Pacome Dadiet's salary
As we’ve mentioned previously, Dadiet could technically be flipped for someone like Moussa Diabate without attaching any more money. (The trade would require draft equity for sure.) The same cannot be said for Wiseman, Clarkson, Tyler Kolek, or whomever New York would have signed if it already ditched Dadiet.
The extra money is valuable if the Knicks are trying to finagle a more expensive acquisition. Including Dadiet and McBride in the same package could bring back someone earning $6.9 million. But if you attach McBride to another veteran’s minimum, this dips to $6.4 million.
Knowing it would have taken no more than a second-round pick to offload Dadiet, the Knicks clearly plan to put this flexibility to use. It doesn’t mean they’re going to swing for the fences. But it does suggest they may act earlier than December—and, most critically, want someone better than a minimum free agent.
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