![\"TOPSHOT-BASKET-NBA-UAE-KNICKS-76ERS\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/topshot-basket-nba-uae-knicks-76ers-topshot-new-york-knicks-32-karl-anthony-towns-sport-horizontal-b.jpeg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
TOPSHOT – New York Knicks’ #32 Karl-Anthony Towns goes to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers’ #01 Andre Drummond defends during the NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 2, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The New York Knicks<\/a>\u2019 search for another center has reached the point where a familiar face may be the most practical answer.<\/p>\n New York has explored the market since losing Mitchell Robinson<\/a> and Ariel Hukporti<\/a> this offseason, but each promising path has closed. The Knicks signed Moussa Ciss\u00e9 to a two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet, only for the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> to match it<\/a>. They also explored trades<\/a> involving New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> centers Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovi\u0107<\/a>, along with Charlotte Hornets big man Moussa Diabat\u00e9<\/a>, without completing a deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n The free-agent pool has not been kinder. Nick Richards<\/a>, arguably the best remaining center on the market, signed<\/a> with the Miami Heat<\/a>. Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas<\/a> left the NBA after 14 seasons and returned home to Lithuania<\/a> on a two-year contract with \u017dalgiris Kaunas.<\/p>\n That trail of near-misses should bring Jericho Sims<\/a> back into the conversation.<\/p>\n One workable proposal would send Pacome Dadiet<\/a> to the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> for Sims and the less favorable of the Brooklyn Nets\u2019 and Dallas Mavericks\u2019 2027 second-round picks.<\/p>\n Pacome Dadiet Gives Milwaukee a Reason to Listen<\/p>\n \n The Knicks are approximately $3.3 million below the NBA\u2019s $221.686 million second apron but remain above the first apron. New York therefore cannot take back more salary than it sends out in a trade.<\/p>\n Dadiet provides a clean match.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old wing will make $2.98 million in 2026-27, while Sims is owed $2.8 million in the final year of his contract. The exchange would reduce New York\u2019s payroll by approximately $182,000 and preserve some breathing room below the second apron.<\/p>\n Dadiet is not merely salary filler. The Knicks selected the 6-foot-8 French wing in the first round of the 2024 NBA<\/a> draft, betting on his size, shooting potential and youth.<\/p>\n He has rarely received consistent playing time on a veteran-laden roster built to win immediately. That path became even narrower after the Knicks captured the 2026 championship and entered this season intent on defending their title.<\/p>\n Mohamed Diawara<\/a>, who showed flashes when given opportunities last season, has also leapfrogged Dadiet in the Knicks\u2019 wing pecking order. With Jalen Brunson<\/a>, Mikal Bridges<\/a>, OG Anunoby<\/a>, Josh Hart<\/a> and Diawara ahead of him, Dadiet faces another season without a clear role.<\/p>\n Milwaukee could offer Dadiet the patience New York cannot. The Bucks already have young forwards Nate Ament, Ousmane Dieng<\/a> and 6-foot-11 Bogoljub Markovi\u0107<\/a>, but Dadiet\u2019s first-round pedigree and additional team control give him more long-term value than an expiring reserve center.<\/p>\n That difference is why Milwaukee should include a second-round pick. The Knicks control a $5.37 million team option on Dadiet for 2027-28, while Sims can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.<\/p>\n Familiar Center Could End Knicks\u2019 Search<\/p>\n \n Sims is Milwaukee\u2019s third traditional center behind Myles Turner<\/a> and Kel\u2019el Ware. Pete Nance<\/a> is 6-foot-9 and primarily a stretch forward who can handle emergency minutes as a small-ball five.<\/p>\n The Bucks can retain Sims as insurance, but his path to meaningful playing time is narrow. New York can offer a defined role behind Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> and Andre Drummond<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sims averaged career highs of 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.7 minutes over 67 games for Milwaukee last season. He grabbed 2.2 offensive rebounds per game and shot 78.4% from the field, primarily finishing dunks, layups and lobs.<\/p>\n He is not a direct replacement for Robinson, the NBA\u2019s leading offensive rebounder last season. Sims does not offer Robinson\u2019s rim protection or ability to tilt a playoff game on the glass.<\/p>\n He would, however, restore some of the athleticism New York lost. Sims runs the floor, sets physical screens and plays above the rim. He also knows Brunson, Hart and much of the Knicks\u2019 infrastructure from his first stint in New York.<\/p>\n Dadiet could eventually become the better player. But the defending champions must weigh future potential against an immediate roster weakness.<\/p>\n After striking out elsewhere, turning a blocked prospect into center insurance and another draft asset would be a sensible compromise.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty TOPSHOT – New York Knicks’ #32 Karl-Anthony Towns goes to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers’ #01 Andre…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":873285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-873284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Milwaukee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/milwaukee-bucks-v-new-york-knicks-new-york-new-york-november-e1788045713204.jpg\")
Getty\u00a0Pacome Dadiet of the New York Knicks passes the ball as Stanley Umude<\/a> of the Milwaukee Bucks defends in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on November 08, 2024 in New York City.\n<\/p>\n![\"Milwaukee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/milwaukee-bucks-v-philadelphia-76ers-philadelphia-pennsylvania-april-12-jericho-sims.jpg\")
Getty\u00a0Jericho Sims of the Milwaukee Bucks rebounds the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.\n<\/p>\n