On Thursday, the New York Knicks declined 2024 first-round draft pick Pacôme Dadiet’s team option for the 2027-28 season.
Leon Rose’s front office selected Dadiet 25th overall shortly after trading five first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges, in advance of closing out their offseason with a late trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. His willingness to take less than his maximum rookie-scale contract, a rarity among first-round picks, made him a necessary fit as the team looked to remain under the salary cap’s first apron.
Dadiet’s time in New York certainly isn’t over, but the move to convert his deal into an expiring contract — instead of extending him — is inherently a statement about his trade value. The Knicks missed on this particular swing. That doesn’t mean they should stop looking to hit one deep. In fact, Rose and company should be glad to step right up and swing for more young, long, and skilled players on the wing.
Second apron flipped the script on NBA contenders' drafting formula
Throughout the 2010s, the NBA’s best-functioning franchises had at least one thing in common outside of superstar players and expert coaches. They had almost all developed reputations for acquiring and developing young talent, seeming able to consistently find contributors even with the later picks in the first round of the NBA Draft.
As lottery teams remained desperate to hit home runs and find their franchise’s next savior, perennial contenders enjoyed the flexibility they had afforded themselves to simply try and get on base.
Rose helped rebuild the New York Knicks from perennial purveyors of ping-pong balls to 2026 NBA Champions by drafting — sometimes, even “reaching” to select — versatile prospects with several years of experience after the high school level. Now that the team finally made it to the top, though, it’s seeming like it’s time to flip that script.
New York is following suit. They've gone after players like Dadiet and Mohamed Diawara in the draft, willing to take lumps early on if it means eventually developing one of the most coveted archetypes of rotation player. Recently, they've also brought in G-League phenom Dink Pate and Dalton Knecht, waived by the Los Angeles Lakers after failing to translate as an instant-impact draft pick, to help replenish their young talent.
Last season, the Knicks proved in every way imaginable that they have a championship-level core on their roster. This isn't your parents' NBA, though, and keeping good teams together has arguably become harder than ever before in league history. It's resulted in eight different teams winning the league championship over the past eight seasons. New York, and their new mix of veteran and young talent, will spend the rest of this season trying to break that streak.
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