Knicks $13 million emerging star could be Lakers’ newest trade target | Sporting News

The Los Angeles Lakers front office perked up during the opening game of the NBA season between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

It wasn’t the Celtics’ record-tying 29 three-pointers that caught Lakers GM Rob Pelinka’s attention, but rather the four triples drained by a 24-year-old Knicks guard.

As New York struggled mightily to stay in the game versus Boston, the Knicks were kept afloat by fourth-year guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, who exploded for 22 points on 8-for-10 from the field (4-for-5 from distance).

The six-foot-one McBride somehow managed to sink shot after shot over the best perimeter defenders the NBA has to offer in Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics. All three of those guys are much bigger than McBride, but it didn’t seem to matter on Tuesday night.

McBride was brimming with confidence, stopping on a dime and pulling up from wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and the result was usually a swish.

The most eye-opening play of the night for McBride was when he checked into the game and immediately launched — and made — a contested three on the next possession.

The play revealed that McBride is capable of becoming a lethal bench scorer in the NBA who doesn’t even need to get warm to hit shots.

That’s exactly the type of player that would catch the eye of Pelinka and the Lakers, who are in the market for bench scoring.

Might Pelinka prepare a trade offer for McBride, who is currently in the first year of his $13 million three-year veteran extension?

McBride would get a ton of open looks playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and if Tuesday is any indication, he doesn’t need much space to do damage from beyond the arc.

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