Roughly a year and a half removed from the 2024 NBA Draft, it's more than apparent that the New York Knicks are suffering from a bad case of the "what could have beens."
On that fateful night, the organization found themselves in possession of multiple first round picks, though, due to financial reasons, walked away with just one in Pacome Dadiet at 25 overall.
Leon Rose and company then traded away the rights to the 26 and 27 overall selections, with Dillon Jones going to Oklahoma City and Kyshawn George to Washington.
In the end, only one of these prospects has proven capable of consistently producing at the NBA level, though, sadly, it's not the one the Knicks ultimately decided to keep.
Knicks find Kyshawn George thriving while Pacome Dadiet flounders
Hindsight is always 20/20, and, yes, Dadiet was seemingly the only one willing to accept less than a full-scale rookie salary to help New York pull off the deals for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns during the months that followed, but this doesn't make it any easier to see George taking part in a year-two breakout elsewhere.
While the Wizards may be struggling, the sophomore is undeniably thriving as the club's starting three.
Through 30 games played, George is dropping impressive averages of 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and just shy of a block while shooting a highly efficient 46.5 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from deep.
What makes this all the more painful is the fact that Pacome, though he's shown flashes of competency from time to time, finds himself logging just 3.1 minutes on average with the Knicks varsity team in 2025-26 and has spent the majority of his tenure in the association revolving in and out of the G League.
Fixating over this stark contrast in production between two players who not only were selected right next to one another in the NBA Draft, but who New York ultimately chose between is something that can easily send fans into the dreaded hypothetical scenario land.
What would have happened if they opted to trade Dadiet instead?
Would George still have been this effective? Could retaining him have steered the Knicks away from shipping out the rights to six first-round picks for Bridges, as George plays the same position, has similar on-court abilities, and, whether he agreed to a pay-cut or not, would have come at a fraction of the cost?
Knicks fans will never know the answers to these questions. Instead, they're left with the reality that New York seemingly allowed yet another breakout player walk out the door without even giving them a chance.