NBA
Knicks Could Trade Young Guard
The New York Knicks don’t want to trade Miles McBride this offseason, but that doesn’t mean his spot on the roster is safe.
McBride had a strong season with the Knicks, easily the best in his career, but he is among the final young homegrown talents that New York has that it can trade for a bigger star.
“McBride is New York’s last rotation player on a below-market deal, but boy, is it well below-market. He’ll make less than $13 million in total over the next three years. That’s pennies for the caliber of defender he’s always been and the kind of shooter he’s growing into. The Knicks won’t let him go cheap, but if they need young talent for a big trade, he’s the obvious chip,” CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn writes.
If a trade comes about for a player like Donovan Mitchell or Mikal Bridges, McBride would certainly be asked for by the other team in a deal.
McBride, who turns 24 in September, averaged 8.3 points per game this past season with the Knicks. With New York’s depth depleting as the season went on, McBride’s role increased, and he ended up playing a key role for the team late in the year.
McBride is under contract for the next three years for $13 million, so the chances of him being involved in a deal during that time is pretty high. He negotiated his contract and re-signed before his breakout, so it’s clear that he may be one of the most underpaid players in the league. With Jalen Brunson in the same locker room as him, it will be hard for McBride to earn another major contract or added playing time with the Knicks.
McBride might be the most popular player in Knicks trade rumors for the foreseeable future. His name will come up every offseason and trade deadline until the Knicks either win a championship or he’s in an actual deal.
Whichever team that gives McBride a chance to become a starter down the line could be getting a massive upgrade and, because of the Knicks, a real cheap deal on top of that.