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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown. John Jones-Imagn Images

Knicks' trade candidate may be changing Mike Brown's mind

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 9:31 AM ET

Since adding Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet to the roster, the New York Knicks have been rumored to pursue a trade, as they can't keep both veterans without opening up a roster spot — making Pacome Dadiet the most logical trade piece.

However, it would appear Dadiet's recent performances are starting to change that line of thinking. He has played in all four of the Knicks' preseason outings, earning 63 minutes of total playing time. During those minutes, Dadiet has scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out two assists. While his shooting splits have been poor (26.3% from the field and 20% from deep), his abilities have been on full display.

During a recent postgame news conference, Knicks head coach Mike Brown shared his thoughts on Dadiet's performances and overall upside as a prospect.

“You see a lot of good things," Brown said. "You see he can run, you see he can cut, he's big…so he does a pretty good job of finishing, and you know, he can shoot the basketball. You couple that with his ability to play defense and you have a pretty good young prospect, especially for his age...He's just got to continue to understand how big he is…he's long. He's a big wing, and, at times, he doesn't utilize it. We always talk about playing big, playing big, playing big, and he doesn't utilize it all the time, that's just, you know, being young.”

Mike Brown on Pacôme Dadiet:

"He's just gotta continue to understand how big he is. He's long. He's a big wing. At time he doesn't utilize it. He definitely has a chance to be a player in this league for a long time and you wanna help try to speed that development up" pic.twitter.com/iuakUyvwbz
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 13, 2025

Brown's comments sound like he's at least intrigued by Dadiet's long-term potential. He likely understands why the Knicks drafted him with the 25th pick in 2024.

Pacome Dadiet is still most likely to be traded

Unfortunately for both the Knicks and Dadiet, the franchise isn't in a position to focus on player development. New York is a contending team in the Eastern Conference. With their last NBA championship coming in 1973, they're trying to end a 52-year drought by focusing solely on maximizing the talent at hand.

Brown's comments sound somewhat like a sales pitch, essentially saying, 'He's a great prospect with high upside as a defensive force, and he's yours for a second-round pick.'

Whether another team around the league is willing to bite on that development and the work it will take to get Dadiet to that point is a bigger question. That said, there are enough rebuilding rosters around the NBA to believe at least one will enter negotiations with the Knicks.

Of course, the alternative is that the Knicks choose between Shamet and Brodgon, waive the other and keep Dadiet around for the foreseeable future. That decision could haunt New York, so it's unlikely that's the route they take.

Dadiet's future with the Knicks remains a question mark, but his promise as an NBA talent remains the same. Moving him to a rebuilding roster may be best for Dadiet's NBA career and the Knicks' chances of success during the 2025-26 season.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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