Knicks select French teen Pacome Dadiet in NBA Draft after trade

The Knicks finished their anticlimactic draft with six more second-round picks and a European who probably won’t play next season.

Pacome Dadiet, a 6-foot-8 forward from France who played professionally in Germany last season, was their lone pick at No. 25.

He’s only 18 years old and a project who makes sense as a draft-and-stash pick.

Pacome Dadiet in orange uniform, controlling the basketball during a Basketball Bundesliga Play Off match between Ratiopharm Ulm and Wurzburg Baskets
The Knicks seleected Pacome Dadiet in the 2024 NBA Draft. DeFodi Images via Getty Images

If he plays overseas again next season, Dadiet doesn’t count toward the Knicks’ delicate cap sheet.

That could help New York avoid the restrictive salary cap aprons.

The crowd at Barclays Center wasn’t impressed with the Dadiet choice, responding with some muted applause and a few boos.

The last time the Knicks gambled on a young Frenchman — Frank Ntilikina in 2017 — it didn’t end well.

But there will be less pressure for Dadiet to perform, especially right away. His upside is as a defensive-minded wing.

The Knicks entered the night with picks No. 24 and No. 25.

They first traded back from No. 24 to No. 26 while picking up a second-round pick (No. 51) from the Wizards.

Then they traded No. 26 to the OKC for five second-rounders between the years of 2025 and 2027, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

For Friday’s second round, which will be held at a new location in Manhattan, the Knicks now have picks No. 38 and 51.

The Knicks started with back-to-back picks because one of them — No. 24 — came courtesy of Dallas as the final payment of the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade.

Using their own draft pick has been a rarity for the Knicks and that will continue.

In the pending Mikal Bridges deal, they gave up control of their first-rounders in 2025, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2031.

Finding productive players late in the draft has been a strength of Leon Rose and assistant GM Walt Perrin during their four-year tenures.

They took Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes with the 25th picks. They also nabbed Miles McBride in the second round.

Their disappointing choices were Obi Toppin (eighth overall) and Trevor Keels (42nd).

After trading Quickley, Grimes and RJ Barrett last season, the Knicks had zero of their first-round picks on the playoff roster.

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