Pacome Dadiet has played 111 total minutes with the New York Knicks. Somewhat shockingly, it now appears like there's a real chance he never plays any more. Just a year after the Knicks selected him with the No. 25 pick in the NBA Draft, Dadiet might become a victim of a roster crunch for the Knicks, who just signed Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Matthews to non-guaranteed deals.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Knicks are likely to keep both Brogdon and Shamet on the roster, which could spell the end for Dadiet, or fellow 2024 draft pick, second-rounder Tyler Kolek:
"How do you create that money, that cap flexibility? I think you're probably looking at a trade, whether it be Tyler Kolek or Pacome Dadiet, your first-round pick from a year ago. That would give you the necessary room. If you traded Kolek, you can keep both Shamet and Brogdon and also sign a player with the second-round pick exception... Dadiet gives you a little bit more money as far as a flexibility standpoint here."
If you think that potentially trading Dadiet to retain Landy Shamet and sign Malcolm Brogdon sounds wildly shortsighted after Dadiet played just 18 games in his rookie season, you're right. It's borderline irresponsible from the Knicks, even in an "all-in" season — which 2025-26 will be for them.
Yes, the Knicks' lack of depth was glaring in the Eastern Conference Finals, and yes, bringing back Landry Shamet and adding Brogdon would, in theory, help with that. Adding NBA experience to the bench is important when a team is trying to win a title. But would Shamet and Brogdon bring enough production to justify cutting ties already with a player whom the front office deemed worthy of a first-round pick 14 months ago?
I don't think so, frankly. I don't believe Malcolm Brogdon — who should still be productive with the Knicks — was the missing puzzle piece that will get the Knicks over the hump. If he's not, and these signings end up making just marginal differences for the Knicks, then it will very quickly become obvious that sending Dadiet elsewhere was done for... no reason.
Pacome Dadiet was always going to be a project
My biggest question for the Knicks here is... Why draft Dadiet in the first place if trading him for veteran help after one year was ever going to be on the table? I understand that plans change; but Dadiet was always going to be a project — he was an international, 19 year-old, 6-foot-8 point guard. That's essentially the definition of a project. Trading him now might set a record for the quickest a team has ever given up on a draft pick.
The Knicks, along with pretty much every other team in the NBA, look for veteran guard help every offseason. If the only way to add that help is by shipping off a 20 year-old who has never played more than 20 minutes in an NBA game... then maybe it's worth trying to find that help elsewhere.
Dadiet was not good as a rookie because he didn't get a chance as a rookie. He's essentially entering this season as a first-round pick. Would you trade a future first-round pick for Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet in 2025? No, you wouldn't. So why trade your most recent first-round pick for the right to sign them?