We may not know when the New York Knicks will make their first trade of the season. Nor do we know what that deal will be. Thanks to Tyler Kolek’s emergence, though, we can be fairly confident who the Knicks are most likely to move when they do strike an agreement.
It’s Pacome Dadiet.
The answer to this question was far from clear before now. Both Kolek and Dadiet entered the season in the running for the “most likely Knicks player to get dealt” title.
Since then, Kolek’s value has skyrocketed, which renders him less of a trade candidate given New York’s need for secondary ball-handling. Dadiet, meanwhile, remains buried in the rotation. And though other names will invariably enter the rumor mill, he has now become the most sensible trade candidate when weighing a bunch of other factors.
The Knicks are less likely to move on from others
Fans would welcome a Guerschon Yabusele trade at this point. Mike Brown might feel the same way judging by his rotation. And look, Yabusele may yet get moved. But the player option he has for next season will invariably force New York to attach additional value to his contract.
Relative to how few trade chips they boast, the Knicks have little business doing that unless it’s a can’t-miss opportunity.
Landry Shamet’s shoulder injury puts him on the chopping block by default. His minimum salary can be absorbed by just about anyone. But he was providing absurd value prior to going down. New York should not be so swift to punt on the Early Bird rights it has for Shamet this coming summer. As the core gets more expensive, it will be harder to keep the playable-talent pipeline flowing.
Jordan Clarkson belongs in this discussion, too. Between his roller-coaster play, Kolem’s emergence, and the Knicks’ numerous links to guards, his spot on the roster, let alone in the rotation, is hardly secure. Still, as another minimum salary, the Knicks can’t expect to get much for him. Plus, his scoring upside remains somewhat integral unless Shamet comes back, or New York acquires another guard who can upgrade the Clarkson minutes.
Just like that, we are running out of options. No top-seven-rotation player is getting moved unless the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes take a massive turn. That rules out Jalen “Untouchable” Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and Deuce McBride.
Pacome Dadiet may want to have his bags packed
This brings us back to Dadiet. Despite standout moments during the G-League Showcase, he remains behind rookie Mohamed Diawara in the wing-player rotation. If anything, his G-League Showcase increases the chances that he gets traded by virtue of driving up his mystery-box appeal.
Making just over $2.8 million, with another two years left on his rookie-scale deal, the 20-year-old is a rock-solid stab-in-the-dark play for rebuilding squads. And he is so cheap that the Knicks can feasibly jettison him without taking back any money in return.
Simply offloading Dadiet would not be a sexy move. But it addresses an issue the Knicks are bound to solve by the deadline anyway. They currently do not have the space beneath the second apron to sign another pro-rated minimum contract until the start of April. Offloading Dadiet’s salary free and clear would give them the flexibility to add two more vets to fill out the roster.
Failing that, Dadiet’s remaining upside, whatever it may be, could be the goodie that sweetens a Yabusele salary dump, or the acquisition of another player. You can debate the risk involved of selling low on him, particularly as Kolek is validating the Knicks’ patience with him. But it’s his emergence that’s winnowed down the team’s number of expendable-yet-still movable players.
Barring a bigger-time swing from the front office, Dadiet has involuntarily reclaimed his spot as the Knicks player most likely to be shipped elsewhere by February 5.