Knicks signing 6-foot-9 NBA champion forward to help Jalen Brunson originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Knicks are likely still celebrating their remarkable championship victory over the San Antonio Spurs to cap off the 2025-26 season.
The Knicks were tasked with storming back from significant deficits, and it’s safe to say they answered the bell more often than not on their way to a 4-1 series win.
While we’re less than 10 days into the offseason, the Knicks have already made a notable roster move to assist star point guard Jalen Brunson moving forward. Specifically, the franchise signed a 6-foot-9 forward who was a member of the franchise’s championship squad this past season.
“Restricted free agent Mohamed Diawara intends to sign a multiyear, $10-plus million deal to return to the New York Knicks,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday. “Diawara — the No. 51 pick in last year’s NBA draft — was part of the champion Knicks after spending the season on a standard contract.”
Diawara began his professional career overseas, competing with Paris Basketball, Poitiers Basket 86, and Cholet Basket before getting drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2025. With Los Angeles quickly shipping Diawara to New York, the Paris, France native had no choice but to begin his career with the Brunson-led Knicks.
Diawara appeared in 69 of New York’s 82 regular-season contests but was used sparingly by head coach Mike Brown as a rookie. The 21-year-old big man averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3% from the field.
Diawara was a 1.2-point, 1.5-rebound per game contributor for the Knicks in six postseason games (23.1% field goal shooting). With a year of valuable NBA experience under his belt, there’s a chance the former second-round pick could take a significant leap forward with New York in Year 2.
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