Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet handling the ball against Toronto
Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet handling the ball against Toronto
Pacome Dadiet got through the roster cuts. Now the Knicks have a more expensive question to answer: how much do they believe in the player they kept?
The Knicks waived Bruce Brown rather than complete a roster-clearing trade to keep both him and James Wiseman. Dadiet remains on the current roster. After several days of trade discussion, that is a meaningful outcome for the young forward, but it doesn’t tell us what the club should guarantee for 2027-28.
The Knicks still have to justify the next year
Dadiet’s fourth-year team option carries a cap figure of about $5.37 million. The future choice is separate from keeping him through Saturday’s cuts. His development case needs to be strong enough to support that additional commitment on its own.
There is an understandable argument for patience. Dadiet is 21, and a club trying to defend a championship doesn’t always supply a young wing with the cleanest path to consistent work. The staff’s practice evaluation may also be more encouraging than the small public sample. None of that should be dismissed just because the minutes have been limited.
Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet attacking the basket against Toronto
Oct 15, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks small forward Pacome Dadiet (4) goes to the basket during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In Thursday’s preseason finale, Dadiet scored six points on 3-for-6 shooting in 11:03. He had an assist and two turnovers, missing both three-point attempts. It’s enough to discuss the shift, not enough to decide an option or predict the next several years of his career.
A development plan has to lead somewhere
What I’d want from the Knicks is a clear internal answer about the role they believe he can earn. Which defensive assignments would make him playable with the regulars? What offensive contribution would keep him from needing the ball to stay useful? How close is he to carrying those jobs against normal NBA lineups?
Eleven preseason minutes can’t answer that, and Mike Brown’s staff sees work the rest of us don’t. If those practices show real progress toward a useful role, exercise the option and keep developing him. A 21-year-old doesn’t need to be a finished player to deserve another year.
Without that evidence, preserving flexibility is a serious alternative. Avoiding an unwanted trade now shouldn’t become a reason to add a future year by habit. Dadiet getting through this cut gives the Knicks another decision to make; it doesn’t give them permission to stop evaluating him.