With their only pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Knicks settled on another Frenchman project who touts defense and athleticism as his top traits.
Mohamed Diawara, a 20-year-old power forward from Paris, was taken 51st by the Knicks on Thursday night.
It’s undetermined whether Diawara will sign with the Knicks or get stashed elsewhere, but the expectation is he’ll participate in the Vegas Summer League next month, a league source said.
Diawara is close with fellow Frenchman Pacôme Dadiet, whom the Knicks drafted in the first round last year.
Diawara’s stats last season in the French league were unremarkable — 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27 games — but the upside resides in his 7-foot-4 wingspan and athleticism.
The Knicks maneuvered slightly before choosing Diawara, swapping picks with the Clippers and moving down from 50th to 51st.
As The Post reported Wednesday, people around the NBA believed the Knicks would either trade out of the second round or choose a player who’ll be stashed overseas.
Why? With the new restrictive luxury-tax system, every salary dollar — even for just a second-round rookie — carries more significance, and the Knicks want to avoid the second apron.
If Diawara is stashed next season, he won’t count toward the salary cap.
According to a source, the Knicks had discussions internally about moving up in the second round to draft power forward Rasheer Fleming, a St. Joseph’s product who was picked 31st by the Suns. But Leon Rose instead traded down.
The Knicks lost their own second-round pick — which would’ve been 56th — as punishment for tampering with Jalen Brunson before signing him in 2023, a worthwhile sacrifice.
New York’s ownership of the 50th pick was the result of a swap on last year’s draft day with the Thunder.
The Knicks are without a first-round rookie this year after trading their pick to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges. Still, their Summer League squad — which tips off in about two weeks — should be full of young players who have an opportunity to crack the Knicks’ senior roster, with a first-rounder from last year (Dadiet) and four recent second-round picks (Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, James Nnaji, Kevin McCullar Jr.) all expected to be in Vegas.
Diawara joins that group.
The Knicks can boast recent success with second-round picks, with Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims all cracking the rotation.