Knicks' Camp Signings Could Finally Force Pacome Dadiet Breakup to Happen

On Wednesday, the Knicks announced a slew of agreements on Exhibit 9 contracts (training camp deals for veterans), signing Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji, James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks and John Konchar. This is the second straight season the Knicks have put together a pool of veteran players to compete for roster spots in training camp, having had Landry Shamet (signed), Malcolm Brogdon (retired), and Garrison Mathews (cut) last year.

The Knicks currently have two open roster spots and are $3.2 million below the second apron. With $2.4 million being the veteran minimum, the Knicks can only currently sign one of the players they’ve invited to training camp on an Exhibit 9 deal to a standard NBA contract, if they want to stay under the second apron—which they definitely want to do, per James Dolan’s wishes.

The Knicks could always sign one of their tryout players to a standard NBA deal and then have another player wait until later on in their season to when the veteran minimum cost is at a lower number to fit them under the second apron, similar to what they did with Landry Shamet in 2025-26, though the caveat there was he injured himself in preseason.

The other route Leon Rose could go is freeing up resources, and that's where Pacôme Dadiet might come in.

Pacome Dadiet trade would free up money and roster space Knicks could use to keep a successful camp tryout

The most obvious move to create room to add multiple players from training camp would be to do a salary-dump trade involving Dadiet. The 21-year-old is set to earn $2.9 million in 2026-27 and has a $5.3 million team option for the 2027-28 season.

Because of Dadiet’s inability to crack the NBA rotation, the Knicks would probably have to attach a draft pick—maybe a second-round pick—along with his contract. They currently hold the rights to 11 future second-round picks through the 2033 NBA Draft, so that'd be a very small price to pay.

By trading Dadiet, you not only would be able to sign two of the players they brought in on Exhibit 9 deals, but they also wouldn’t have to be the ones to make the decision on his pricy team option for 2027-28, which as previously mentioned is $5.3 million. The deadline to make a decision on his 2027-28 team option is Oct. 31, shortly after the team’s fifth game of the regular season.

If they traded Dadiet, the Knicks could bring in both a wing (one of Brown, Agbaji, and Konchar) and a big (Wiseman or Eubanks) into the fold on their roster. Remember: They’re currently only sitting on Andre Drummond as their center depth to Karl-Anthony Towns.

However, maybe it’s not in the Knicks’ best interest to move Dadiet right now. If they kept him on the roster—regardless of if they exercised his 2027-28 team option—they could keep him until the trade deadline and move him for someone who is available at that time.

For the record, Jose Alvarado made $4.5 million in 2025-26, and they got him in exchange for Dalen Terry (who they acquired the day before for Guerschon Yabusele) and two future second-round picks. As we’ve mentioned previously, guys that could be fits for the Knicks like Moussa Diabate ($2.5 million) and Yves Missi ($3.5 million) fit that same bill.

It’s also not a foregone conclusion that the guy currently on the Knicks’ roster that would be moved to create another roster spot would be Dadiet.

A guy on the fringe of the rotation like Tyler Kolek ($2.3 million) makes right around the veteran minimum. Also, it’s unlikely that Deuce McBride, who is making just under $4 million in the final year of his rookie extension, gets another extension from the Knicks, unless they’re willing to break up their core of players, so he’s always an option to be on the move.

But all in all, my bet is still that Dadiet would be the one who’d be moved, if there were a trade, given that he’s the unlikeliest to earn playing time this upcoming season. The fact he's overpaid even for a bench player, and would actually save New York a couple hundred thousand in cap space if swapped with a veteran on a minimum, only adds to the reasons to finally break things off with the former first-round pick.

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