Knicks Shopping Frenchmen Guerschon Yabusele, Pacome Dadiet

NBA insider Marc Stein reported yesterday that the New York Knicks have made Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet available in trade talks. This isn’t exactly breaking news as the two Frenchmen have struggled and been mostly out of the rotation. Their combined salaries equate to $8,347,600 and due to apron restrictions, the Knicks cannot acquire more salary than what they send out.

After being drafted with the 16th pick of the first round in the 2016 draft by Boston, Yabusele washed out of the league after two seasons. He spent five years overseas, playing in China, France and with Real Madrid, where he helped the team win two EuroLeague titles. Thanks to helping lead France to the Gold medal game during the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yabusele put himself back on the NBA radar

The Philadelphia 76ers brought him in on a minimum deal. Despite the Sixers having an underwhelming season, the six-foot-seven forward was a bright spot. In 70 games, he averaged 11 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 38% from long distance. Yabusele's versatile skill set put him in line for a pay raise and made him a hot commodity in free agency.

Yabusele Drew Plenty Of Interest In Free Agency

Over the summer, the 30-year-old Yabusele was the Knicks big free agent addition, where he signed for two years, $11 million, with the second season being a $6 million player option. But he’s been an odd fit in Mike Brown’s fast paced system and has looked out of shape. He was listed at 283 pounds in the media guide, which is among the beefiest in the league.

Yabusele has barely seen the floor over the last few weeks and missed his second consecutive game on Sunday with a right quadriceps contusion. In 32 games, he's averaging a measly 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game. Last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks proposed a three-team deal that sends Yabusele to the Spurs, Jeremy Sochan to the Wizards and Cam Whitmore coming back to New York.

Meanwhile, the 20-year old Dadiet has seen the court in 44 minutes across 14 sporadic appearances this season. While fellow youngsters Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, Kevin McCullar Jr and Mohamed Diawara have all played meaningful minutes, he's been stapled to the bench and has bounced between the big club and the team’s G-League affiliate in Westchester, where he’s seen action in six games.

The Knicks Are Looking To Move On From The Youngster — Apr 13, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet (4) dribbles after the game Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

To the surprise of many, Dadiet was in Tom Thiibodeau’s opening night rotation in Boston last season. The rookie played 13 minutes, however, only saw time in 98 mostly garbage time minutes over the next 81 games. His biggest contribution was helping the Knicks duck the second apron last season. After being selected 25th overall in the 2024 draft, Dadiet took 80 percent of the rookie scale, saving $904K for the team, who finished the year just $53,000 below the apron.

The Knicks haven’t had much luck with players from France over the years. In 1999, they selected big man Frederic Weis with the 15th overall pick, one slot before New York native Ron Artest. He never played a minute in the NBA and is mostly known for being posterized by Vince Carter at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Then there's Frank Ntilikina, who Phil Jackson selected 8th overall in 2017 ahead of fellow guards Dennis Smith Jr, Malik Monk and of course, Donovan Mitchell.

The Knicks Have A History With Disappointing Frenchmen

The disappointment hasn’t been limited to draft busts. In the summer of 2021, Leon Rose acquired sharpshooting Evan Fournier via a sign-and-trade with Boston. He was given a four-year deal worth up to $78 million but didn’t last two full seasons in the starting lineup. After over a year of collecting DNP’s and hoping for a trade, the Knicks moved him along with Quentin Grimes to the Pistons at the 2024 trade deadline.

No big shakeup is coming to this Knicks roster and they are shopping two players with essentially no value. But if they attach some draft capital, they can fortify the roster and rid themselves of two players not in their plans.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!