Within the past 24 hours, the Knicks have reached contract agreements with Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Mathews, but they only have enough cap flexibility below the second tax apron to keep one of those three players on their regular season roster.
Shedding a little salary from the current roster would allow New York to retain more than one of those players for opening night, and multiple reports suggest the team is exploring that path.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link) says people around the NBA expect the Knicks to make a move that would allow them to keep Brogdon and one of Shamet or Mathews. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), meanwhile, cites league sources who says the Knicks are weighing various trade scenarios to create extra cap flexibility.
While Bondy doesn’t single out a specific trade candidate, Fischer points to 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet as one player who could be moved for cap reasons. Dadiet played sparingly in 18 games during his first NBA season and will make $2.85MM in 2025/26. His rookie scale contract includes team options for the following two years.
Second-year point guard Tyler Kolek could be another player to watch, especially if the Knicks are prioritizing keeping a veteran point guard like Brogdon. Like Dadiet, Kolek had a limited role as a rookie, logging 296 total minutes in 41 outings last season. He’s owed a guaranteed $2.19MM in 2025/26 and $2.3MM in ’26/27, with a team option for ’27/28.
Moving either Dadiet or Kolek without taking any salary back would allow New York to retain two veteran minimum-salary camp invitees instead of just one. However, because neither 2024 draftee has a significant cap hit, the Knicks would still have to sign a draft-rights-held rookie as their 14th man and wouldn’t have enough room under their hard cap to add a 15th man until much later in the season.
It’s worth noting that while the gap in salaries between Dadiet and Kolek isn’t massive, it figures to be an important consideration for the Knicks’ front office as the team weighs its options — trading Kolek, retaining two veteran free agent camp invitees, and signing a 14th man to a rookie minimum would leave New York a mere $44K below its hard cap.
I’m not sure they should move a 1st rd pick this soon, but I guess if they think Pacome Dadiet is a bust, this could make sense. But the Knicks should keep PG Kolek.
The only reason Dadiet was a FRP was because the Knicks got him to agree to lower his year one salary (an extremely rare circumstance). That ultimately allowed them to get under the 2nd apron & field a 14-man roster (as his salary was less than the veteran minimum – this season it’s 500K more than that).
Dadiet wasn’t on anyone’s first round board. Taking a couple hundred thousand less as a FRP to make 1.8M is still more than he would have made as a 2nd round pick (1.2M). He is also making way more in guaranteed $ in year two (2.8M) than he would have over the final 3 years of a 2nd round contract.
It wouldn’t be totally surprising if this practice becomes more common for apron-conscious teams that intend to reach for someone who isn’t on anyone else’s board. An unproven/backup/project Euro like Mo Diawara who went 51st probably fits the Dadiet profile as someone this could have been done with.
Could they cut three out of Miles McBride,Pacome Dadiet, Clarkson, Kolek and Hukporti to keep all 3 and reach 15 players?
Wannes:
Well, they wouldn’t be cutting any of them. They would move those guys in trades. But I don’t think the plan is to keep all three veteran players. I think they would keep Brogdon and Shamet. They will probably trade off Kolek or Dadiet, if they plan to keep those two guys.
1. They can’t cut any of them, because their salaries are guaranteed.
2. The Knicks only need to carry 14 players. They likely won’t carry a 15th man UNLESS they clear both Dadiet and Kolek and don’t take any salary back.
There’s no chance on earth they’d cut McBride. He makes peanuts and is an actual contributor in their rotation. I also don’t think there’s any chance they’d cut Clarkson (they just signed him) or Hukporti (he provides front court depth). Kolek or Dadiet are candidates, though. I like both players but Kolek seems a little undersized and a little lacking in quickness. Good decision-making and passing but maybe too timid offensively. Dadiet is very raw and would need a lot of development and the Knicks likely don’t have the time or patience to develop him given the urgency of their championship asperations.
They are committed to go over the cap to start the season due to the fact that no tax monies are due until after the season.
The arbing down of salaries game by game will allow them to trade or buy out the spare parts.
Yeah they could stretch it out and make trade later.
Just not sure about Brogdons health. Imo he isn’t worth making a trade for now. All fake news imo.
The deadline to stretch players was August 29th.
But keep on making fake analysis lol.
Knicks have to figure out Towns, Hart, Brunson. Team D deficiencies. That will take 30 gms plus for Brown. So it makes no sense to make a trade now. Just to add Brogdon. The big question should be ,,,,,,,
Why is he still available this late ????
You can’t give up assets now. When you will need them later. To move Mitch and players. For a better combo around Towns …. Be wrong time to trade now..
McBride and Clarkson are better PGs than Brogdon.
Don’t believe the hype ….