It’s not all that often that a third-year player, who has spent his career with just one team, takes part in Summer League — especially when they were selected in the first round.
Enter Pacôme Dadiet. The 25th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the soon-to-be 21-year-old has only appeared in 47 regular-season games, for a total of 247 minutes, over his first two seasons. He owns a career scoring average of just 1.7 points.
Many fans of the team have earmarked him as a player who should be traded in a deal to acquire a third big man for the squad. The problem is that his value around the league couldn’t be all that high after his first three summer league games. Dadiet ended on a high note on Friday though, something Knicks fans (and those who want him traded) should be pleased to see.
Dadiet has his best performance in the last summer league game
It was at least a somewhat encouraging end to summer league for Dadiet after three mostly mediocre outings. Despite the Knicks losing to the Mavericks by 22 on Friday, the third-year forward moved well without the ball and attacked the basket. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting. The first basket of the game involved him driving to the hole, getting fouled — and still making the bucket.
It was, though, once again a rough night from behind the arc for Dadiet. In each of his four summer league appearances, he made one 3-pointer while attempting seven, six, seven, and five 3-pointers. That leaves Dadiet with an ugly 16.0% mark from deep in summer league. Overall, Dadiet was aggressive looking for his own shot, and he totaled just three assists compared to seven turnovers.
While it wouldn’t be easy to give up on a 21-year-old first-rounder, it has to be remembered that the Knicks selected him knowing they could save money by doing so. He wasn’t a surefire first-round pick, and New York signed him for about 80% of the rookie scale for pick No. 25.
Looking at the roster, Dadiet seems the most likely to be dealt. It could be to acquire that third center, or to free up a roster spot for someone like Tyler Nickel or Jack Kayil. Dadiet at least put some offensive aggression on tape with Friday’s performance, which could lead the Knicks to decide to hold on to him, or enhance the interest in him from other teams.
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