3 Big Wild Cards for Knicks as Training Camp Grows Closer

At this point in the offseason, the Knicks' roster is nearly set, and a third center is the only big item left on the checklist.

However, despite there being plenty of returning faces and little overall changes for the defending champs, there's still a few question marks that remain as the preseason inches closer to tipping off.

No. 1: How will Mohamed Diawara look to begin Year 2?

Mo Diawara received a four-year, $11.2 million contract during the early parts of free agency after he shined in brief spurts throughout the Knicks’ championship campaign in 2025-26. He had a great end to the season, shooting 37.1% from three from Dec. 18 through the end of the regular season, while playing fantastic on-ball defense.

During that 52-game span to end the regular season, the Knicks outscored opponents by 7.3 points per 100 possessions with Diawara on the floor, sporting a 111.2 DRTG. In those games, it seemed like he couldn’t miss on corner threes, shooting 57.6% on such shots.

However, Diawara didn’t factor into the Knicks’ playoff rotation. He got some run in postseason garbage time, but he didn’t do much in those minutes.

This year's Summer League seemed to be the perfect chance for Diawara to get an extended look, but he showed struggles as a ball-handler, finishing at the rim, and self-creation during his brief two-game run in Vegas. Diawara only scored seven points on 7.1% shooting (1-of-14 from field), before bowing out due to a finger issue.

Nothing that occurred in Summer League should concern Knicks fans or any of their decision-makers. This is a guy who still might not be ready to be an impactful player in this upcoming season’s rotation, so using Summer League—which is basically rec basketball for skilled professionals—to do any deep analysis is not what its intention for its existence is for.

That said, the performance still raises a few questions, given Diawara should've dominated. His four-year extension with the team also comes with greater expectations. So, how does he respond after his poor Summer League?

He's probably not ready to be a creator, but the Knicks have enough ball-handlers where he doesn’t have to be that. Just because he got “paid” doesn’t mean he has to leap right into being a key contributor in the rotation.

As long as he’s defending, he’s always going to be able to be inserted into key NBA action—and then you just work from there and hope he can grow like he did last season.

No. 2: Will Knicks end Pacome Dadiet experiment in preseason?

However, not all French draft picks are built the same. Former first-round pick Pacôme Dadiet also struggled in Summer League action, and he’s basically never shown that he’s an NBA rotation player.

He’s played in 29 games in the G League with Westchester and averaged 19.2 ppg with a 62.4% TS%. As great as that sounds, he’s never shown any of that success at the NBA level.

For a while now, Dadiet has been an afterthought with the Knicks. He’s been included in any type of mock trade for a rotation upgrade this offseason. His only real trade value is the fact he’s salary to be included in a trade.

The Knicks have a team option of around $5.3 million for the 2027-28 season on Dadiet that they’ll have to make a decision on by Halloween of this year. If you can use his salary to better the team’s roster in 2026-27, the Knicks should consider it. However, there’s some credence to the notion that they should hold on to him until the 2027-28 season.

While there’s nothing valuable about Dadiet’s on-court play, having an expiring contract of around $5.3 million to trade would benefit the Knicks a ton. With the Knicks staying under the second apron after letting Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti leave for conference rivals, they still have the ability to aggregate salaries and if they can avoid going into the second apron for the entire 2026-27 season, you’re left with a young, tradable $5.3 million player in Dadiet.

Unfortunately, that’s really all there is to his outlook as a Knick. It seems more a matter of when and how New York sends him out, rather than if.

No. 3: How long will Knicks put off a Miles McBride move?

Speaking of Deuce McBride, the 2026-27 season will be a gigantic one for him. He missed half of the 2025-26 regular season due to an ankle injury and then a core issue that ended up requiring surgery. Even in a shortened season due to health, 2025-26 was a career year for McBride.

McBride averaged a career-high 12.0 ppg in 2025-26, shooting 41.3% from three. However, he struggled in the playoffs, shooting just 33.3% from the field and Mike Brown ultimately cut down his minutes (26.3 per game in reg. season to 17.6 per game in playoffs).

McBride will have a full offseason to get ready for the 2026-27 campaign and hopefully his health can bounce back. A long postseason run could’ve contributed to his shooting falling off. This upcoming season could be McBride’s final year with the Knicks.

McBride signed a steal of a contract right after the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors in the OG Anunoby trade, signing a three-year, $13 million contract that runs out after the 2026-27 season. He’s likely do for a gigantic raise, and that’ll probably cost whoever pays him $15 million to $20 million per season.

The Knicks likely won’t be able to afford that AND keep contending. But can they afford to lose him? New York absolutely destroyed opponents in Deuce's minutes in the 2026 playoffs, outscoring teams by 20.8 points per 100 possessions with a 126.5 ORTG.

However, the Finals were a different story. He basically played himself out of the Knicks’ rotation, only playing around 13 minutes per game, as the Knicks were 2.5 points per 100 possessions better without him on the floor than with him on the floor in the series.

It’s no secret that Deuce is the type of player that elevates his peers. Since the start of the 2025-26 season, the Knicks have been 5.6 points per 100 possessions better with Deuce on the floor, according to PbP Stats. His ability to share the floor with Jalen Brunson has made the Knicks offense and defense flourish since he became a crucial part of the Knicks’ rotation.

While there were calls to have him start over the likes of either Josh Hart or Mikal Bridges at times over the last two seasons, Mike Brown showed that the Knicks can win with their starting lineup as-is—and that means Deuce fills a bench role.

With the Knicks likely not extending McBride, does that make him a trade candidate during the 2026-27 season? Perhaps! A guy like Yves Missi on the Pelicans—a young big with a low salary ($3.5 million in 2026-27, $5.6 million in 2027-28), could be obtained for McBride, who is due for a large pay day.

The Knicks’ contention window is helped with McBride on the roster, but extending it could lead to him moving on from the Knicks and bringing in more affordable talent.

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