It’s normally not a great sign when a third-year player who was selected in the first round takes part in summer league games. It’s even worse when that player doesn’t perform well in those outings.
That’s the case for Pacôme Dadiet of the New York Knicks. Selected 25th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Dadiet has shown little reason to believe he can become a future core player for the Knicks.
By October 31, New York needs to decide on his fourth-year team option for 2027–28. It would be surprising if the Knicks opted in for another season of Dadiet.
The Knicks need more value out of Dadiet's roster spot
Dadiet’s fourth-year team option for 2027–28 is worth approximately $5.4 million. While his third-year team option was exercised last year, it was for a substantially lower amount—around $3 million.
When trade talks come up, Dadiet’s name is one of the first mentioned as a potential trade candidate. It would be much more difficult to trade the 21-year-old if he had guaranteed money for another season.
Through two NBA seasons, Dadiet has only made 47 regular season appearances. His minutes have all come in garbage time, aside from end-of-year games that had little meaning.
As mentioned, Dadiet played in July’s summer league games. In his four appearances, the 6-foot-9 guard/forward shot just 36.4 percent from the field, and 16.0 percent from beyond the arc. He also accumulated more than twice as many turnovers as assists.
Dadiet also had three subpar performances while playing for Ivory Coast in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers at the end of August.
Dadiet's time with the Knicks seems to be winding down
It should be concerning that he can’t look like one of the best players on the floor against lesser competition, whether it’s in the summer league, or the World Cup qualifiers.
The Knicks look to be a team that will be close to the second apron in future years as well. They could use one of the three second-round picks they currently have in 2027 to take Dadiet’s spot. One of those second-round choices would count less against the cap than the $5.4 million Dadiet would earn if his option were exercised. They could also opt to add someone on a veteran's minimum deal, which would count for less than half against the cap as Dadiet's team option.
With the Knicks bringing back the majority of their championship roster from last season, it's hard to envision Dadiet seeing time in the rotation. On the bright side, while their 2024 first-round pick looks to be a miss, they have succeeded in spite of that.
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