A lack of interest in Pacome Dadiet from other teams doesn’t mean the New York Knicks can’t trade him. It simply means they must attach sweeteners to his $2.9 million salary in order to unload him.
Good thing, then, they acquired a kajillion future second-round picks during the 2026 NBA draft. Those are just the type of assets that can be used to relocate the 21-year-old, and pave the way for New York to sign two of its veteran training-camp invites rather than just one.
The Knicks padded their second-round stash for moments like this
Okay, fine: The Knicks didn’t add a “kajillion” future second-rounders. They did, however, scoop up five.
After a flurry of draft-night trades, they essentially turned No. 24, No. 31, and No. 55 into Jack Kayil (No. 39), Tyler Nickel (No. 47), and the following future picks:
- Phoenix’s 2029 second
- Sacramento’s 2029 second
- Philadelphia’s 2030 second
- Dallas’ 2032 second
- Phoenix’s 2033 second
These are not the only extra draft selections the Knicks have in their war chest, either. They have two additional seconds on top of their own in 2027, one of which is the Washington Wizards’ pick. While they already shipped out their own second in 2028, they have two more inbound from Boston (top-45 protection) and Indiana or Phoenix (less favorable).
Toss in New York’s own 2032 and 2033 picks, and the front office has up to 12 future seconds it can move right now.
Futzing and fiddling with the cap sheet is exactly how this type of draft stash can be used. The Knicks proved as much this past trade deadline. Second-rounders helped them turn Guerschon Yabusele, a free-agency bust with a player option for 2026-27, into Jose Alvarado and a late-season flier on Jeremy Sochan.
Dadiet’s trade value won’t be the reason why the Knicks don’t sign two veterans
Ever since Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that Dadiet “has no value” to other teams, the prevailing assumption has been that the Knicks, just like last year, will settle for signing one training-camp invite rather than two. That’s not necessarily true.
New York can absolutely move Dadiet if it pleases. Especially now. Teams can currently roster up to 21 players, and plenty of prospective trade partners have the ability to gobble up his salary without sending back any money in return.
Pearl-clutching the franchise’s second-round stockpile won’t prevent a Dadiet deal, either. The cost of dumping a sub-$3 million salary is next to nothing. Earlier in the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves essentially unloaded Julius Randle’s $33.3 million sticker onto the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for moving down five spots in the draft order, from No. 28 (Joshua Jefferson) to No. 33 (Isaiah Evans).
It’ll be genuinely shocking if the Knicks have to use more than one second-rounder to wipe Dadiet’s salary from the ledger. In the event he sticks on the roster past opening night, it’ll say more about how their training-camp invites performed—or about Leon Rose and company having a grander midseason trade plan.
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