After just his first regular season in the NBA, it already feels safe to say that Mohamed Diawara was a successful draft pick by the New York Knicks.
In recent weeks, though, Diawara's role has gradually decreased as the playoffs have grown closer. In the final two regular season games that New York treated as playoff dress rehearsals, the rookie didn't touch the court at all.
Diawara signed a one-year contract with the Knicks, setting him up to enter the 2026 NBA offseason as a restricted free agent. His decrease in playing time has matched up with both the re-emergence of Jordan Clarkson in the rotation and time running out before the high-leverage playoff games that will define the team's season.
But ESPN's Brian Windhorst told SNY's Ian Begley on Monday that, in some NBA circles, teams are beginning to wonder if the Knicks haven't been playing Diawara considerably less to "hide" his talents from opposing front offices with cap room to play with this summer.
Windhorst reveals NBA front office gossip regarding Knicks, Diawara
The 51st selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, Diawara impressed at Summer League with his combination of size and skill – particularly given how thin the Knicks' roster was at wing after Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
Windhorst presented Begley with a theory that he claims has gained some steam in recent weeks, which is that New York's front office may have potentially instructed their coaching staff to keep the rookie on the backburner when possible.
"There's been some chatter within the league, in the last few weeks, about why they've stopped playing Mohamed Diawara, who they did a great job drafting. ... I am not saying this, I am saying some people in the league have wondered about whether the Knicks are trying to hide Diawara a little bit, because he's going to be restricted," Windhorst explained.
The longtime NBA reporter went on to explain why, despite the Knicks having an advantage over the rest of the league with regard to Diawara's upcoming contract expiration, it simply might not matter.
"The Knicks have certain rights to him, but because of what they're paying elsewhere, you know, it may be a difficult thing to keep him. Just putting it out there that that speculation existed," Windhorst said before mentioning Mitchell Robinson as another player that might not fit in the Knicks' cap sheet going forward.
Knicks probably aren't losing games on purpose to tank Diawara's value
Diawara isn't the only player in the rotation that Clarkson has effectively displaced, with trade deadline acquisition Jose Alvarado also falling out of the team's top nine ahead of the playoffs.
The 20-year-old rookie's upcoming contract situation, and how less playing time might affect it, could be an added benefit for the Knicks. But it's unlikely that a contending team is giving itself a smaller chance to win, on purpose, to save a couple million dollars after the playoffs.
Fans would love to see Diawara stick around in New York. But if other teams were as impressed with the Frenchman as New Yorkers were, that could get expensive.