The New York Knicks are sending mixed messages as they seek to finalize their roster for the 2025-26 season. And believe it or not, this limbo could just signal a strong belief in Mohamed Diawara.
This is a surreal, somewhat wild notion on its face. The Knicks are title contenders. Their immediate fate isn’t beholden to a 20-year-old mystery box. Selected with the No. 51 pick in June’s draft, Diawara isn’t even technically on the roster yet.
All signs point to this changing. And soon.
New York currently needs to fill at least two more roster spots. One of those has to be earmarked for a rookie deal given the team’s proximity to the second apron.
More recently, the Knicks have been trying to open enough wiggle room to guarantee deals for two veterans—Malcolm Brogdon, and Landry Shamet. And believe it or not, this approach potentially doubles as an even bigger vote of confidence in Diawara.
The Knicks are about to winnow down their number of prospects
Any scenario in which the Knicks wind up with both Brogdon and Shamet will require them to make a trade. Shipping out Tyler Kolek profiles as the most likely next move when you consider what New York’s guard depth would look like with the aforementioned two in the fold. Still, as Jake Fischer notes for The Stein Line, Pacome Dadiet could amble his way onto the salary-dump block as well.
Either way, the Knicks’ path to keeping both Shamet and Brogdon will knife into their already-barren collection of youth. That increases the importance of nailing other developmental projects, even if they are stabs in the dark.
Enter Diawara.
He’s a 6’9” combo wing with real on-ball feel, who can guard as many as four positions. The jumper could be busted, but he showed during his Las Vegas Summer League stint that he’s willing to put pressure on rival defenses when he doesn’t have the ball with his floor-running and half-court mapping.
Where are all the wings?
Diawara’s importance to the Knicks increases tenfold if Dadiet is thrown to the cap-managing wolves. Their wing rotation is already shaky, verging on nonexistent. After OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, there is only Dadiet. And no, that’s not an exaggeration.
Say what you will about Shamet’s understated feistiness on the defensive end. He is decidedly not a wing. Please do not campaign for Guerschon Yabusele to log minutes at the 3.
This is nothing if not a case to retain Dadiet himself. He isn’t expected to have a big role entering his sophomore campaign, but New York is one twisted ankle away from needing that to change.
That scenario alone is enough for the Knicks to prioritize Diawara. They will need to sign a rookie no matter what. He should be considered the odds-on favorite even if New York’s 2024 first-round pick survives the back-of-the-roster shuffling.
Without Dadiet, though? Forget about it. There is no choice. The Knicks would not only be signing Diawara as a luxury flier. They’d need him to actually be worth his roster spot.