Knicks Should Trade Emerging Guard

The New York Knicks don’t have too many trade assets left after sending so many of their future draft capital to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges back in June.

One asset that the Knicks were hellbent on keeping was backup guard Miles McBride, who recently signed a three-year, $13 million extension and had his best year to date in the 2023-24 campaign.

McBride, 24, averaged a career-high 8.3 points per game for the Knicks while shooting 41 percent from beyond the 3-point line. While McBride is improving, he is also the likeliest player to be traded in a future deal given his team-friendly contract and upside on the court.

Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz believes it’s only a matter of time until McBride is dealt.

“McBride is part of a loaded Knicks backcourt that features Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Cameron Payne, Tyler Kolek, Landry Shamet and others. Minutes may be hard to come by, prompting an eventual trade,” Swartz writes.

The backcourt is crowded, but McBride is viewed as the team’s backup point guard behind Jalen Brunson, and that should hold some weight over some of his teammates. When Brunson is off the court, inserting McBride would give the Knicks someone who specializes in driving to the rim. Other players on the team aren’t in that category, and that explains why the Knicks want to keep him.

The team was patient with McBride in the first two seasons, developing him into the player he is now. To just take all of that work and trade him would not be easy.

A trade isn’t happening any time soon, but he does have the best value out of anyone that isn’t “untouchable” for the Knicks, apart from maybe Julius Randle.

This means that McBride will always be in trade rumors while he is with the Knicks, whether he is actually on the block or not.

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