The New York Knicks went into the 2024 NBA Draft with Tom Thibodeau as their head coach. They walked away having drafted four rookies in Pacôme Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Ariel Hukporti. There was, of course, more to the inherent philosophical contradiction than met the eye.
Earlier in the same offseason, New York had traded a bevy of first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges. Part of the wing's appeal involved the team-friendly salary he was locked into for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 regular seasons. Cashing in on the next several years' worth of draft control, though, didn't hold the Knicks back from acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns right before training camp.
The decision by Leon Rose's front office to leave that summer's draft with a boy band's worth of young adults proved prophetic. Dadiet's willingness to sign for roughly 80% of his expected rookie-scale contract allowed the Knicks to add Towns two months later while staying underneath the second apron. Two years later, that core delivered New York City an NBA Championship.
At this point in Dadiet's NBA career, though, the opportunity cost of keeping the 21-year-old wing on the roster is beginning to outweigh the financial benefit.
Knicks' busy offseason ensured that Dadiet would be expendable
The Knicks were just around $50,000 under the NBA salary cap's second apron going into the 2024-25 regular season, making every dollar of the utmost importance — and underscoring why Dadiet was such a pivotal pick for Rose's front office in the first round of that summer's NBA Draft.
At the start of Mike Brown's first year as Knicks head coach, he gave players like Dadiet and Tyler Kolek opportunities to stick in his regular rotation. Neither truly seized any of those chances, winding up serving as reserve depth for the majority of the team's championship run.
Rookie wing Mohamed Diawara, however, did eventually work his way into Brown's favor. The Frenchman seemingly leapfrogged Dadiet in the proverbial pecking order, taking on a nightly role for the Knicks until they hunkered down in preparation for the postseason.
After ending their championship drought, New York signed Diawara and fellow Knick free agents Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson to new contracts. While they weren't able to keep up such a high level of talent in their center room, their new long-term commitment to Diawara unofficially made Dadiet's path to consistent minutes even cloudier.
Knicks will have to move Dadiet if they like several Exhibit 9 veterans
The Knicks have two open roster spots, but can only use one of them because of James Dolan's directive to stay beneath the second apron. With Dadiet on the roster, New York can only afford to fall in love with one of the five veterans they brought in ahead of training camp.
If they end up moving the 21-year-old wing, though, they can afford to let Rose get creative with his Exhibit 9 choices.
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