The New York Knicks are right in the thick of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. A quarter of the way through the 2025-26 season, the Knicks sit second in the East with a record of 17-7.
Last season, the Knicks made it all the way to the conference finals. This season, they’ll aim to advance even further. To do that, they might look to execute a trade prior to the deadline in February.
Pacôme Dadiet listed as player most likely be to traded by Knicks
Speaking of potential trades, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report recently listed the one player on every team most likely to be traded, and for the Knicks the selection was guard Pacôme Dadiet, who New York drafted in the first round (25th overall) in 2024.
Clearly the Knicks thought pretty highly of Dadiet at one time, highly enough to use a first-round pick on him. However, he's yet to turn into the on-court contributor they had hoped he could be.
Since being drafted, Dadiet has appeared in just 27 total games for the Knicks (zero starts) and averaged 4.9 minutes per appearance. In other words, he hasn’t cracked the rotation. So, it might make sense for the Knicks to try to recoup some value for a player who clearly isn’t part of the team’s plans. At just 20 years old with solid size and athleticism, Dadiet could still be an intriguing prospect for teams looking for an infusion of young talent.
“Pacome Dadiet isn't in the rotation and is still young enough at just 20 years old for another team to view him as a viable "second-draft" prospect,” Hughes wrote. “His $2.8 million salary—plus a first-round swap, plus some of the $7.9 million New York is allowed to include in a trade—could return a player who would actually see the floor once in a while."
As Hughes pointed out, Dadiet isn’t likely going to draw much of a return on his own. However, if combined with another player, like Guerschon Yabusele, or a draft pick, perhaps he could net some value for New York.
New York’s starting five is pretty well set, but some added depth never hurts, and since Dadiet rarely plays, trying to turn him into someone who potentially might makes sense.