Seasoned Knicks fans have doctorate degrees in roster construction, with a primary focus on asset management. For over a decade, we spent countless hours discussing expiring contracts, tracking picks, and praying the day would come when all the “futures thinking” translated into a legitimate championship window.
Well, we made it. Like the driver-side door on my red Nissan Rogue, the window is now open. But now that repeating as champions is the goal, New York’s roster-building approach is shifting
again. That shift directly brings our focus to Miles “Deuce” McBride and his future with the Knicks.
Entering the final year of his contract, it is no secret that talks between Deuce and the Knicks have stalled. All signs point to him wanting to stay in New York. The fan base would love him to remain as a key piece of the rotation. However, ownership and the front office are fretting about wearing two aprons while making their prize-winning pizza, especially with Jim Dolan looking over their shoulders.
Because of that fearful culinary attire (too many second-apron jokes?), a growing segment of the fanbase is convinced the Knicks must flip him before the trade deadline. Whether it’s to recoup a draft pick or fill a worrisome hole at center, Deuce cannot simply walk away for nothing. OK, sure he can. And maybe he does. Regardless, trading him away because of that worry would be a majorly short-sighted mistake.
New York finds itself in a bit of a financial gridlock. After sacrificing about $113M to help the team, Brunson will be extension eligible next summer (ka-ching). Anunoby and Bridges are secure for now (on ascending contracts), Hart would like to extend now, and throw in a monster contract for Towns, and there’s not much wiggle room.
In the old NBA, James Dolan could scribble out a luxury-tax check to keep a fan favorite around. Then the 2023 CBA introduced a first apron (roughly $8–9M above the tax line) and a second apron (roughly $17–21M+ above the tax line, depending on the year; e.g., ~$221.7M for 2026-27). Crossing that damned second apron doesn’t just trigger a tax penalty; it hijacks a team’s roster-building. If you cross the line, you lose trade flexibility, the ability to aggregate salaries, and future first-round picks get frozen like Jack Dawson at the end of Titanic.
Unfortunately, Deuce is a potential casualty of math. He’ll undoubtedly earn a significant pay raise in his next contract. However, the Knicks can’t give him one without dismantling a starting five that just brought New York a championship… and appeared on Saturday Night Live. He isn’t a financial priority because the money could be spent more intelligently elsewhere. That’s just the reality of the business.
Irreplaceable Production
So, if the Knicks probably cannot pay the guy, why not trade him now? Well, that answer has two parts. First, what he does on the court can’t be easily replaced. Second, he gets paid very little (relatively speaking) to do it.
Deuce is making a “meager” $3.96 million this season. That kind of contract is a cheat code for a contending team. In the trade market, however, it is a major limitation. An outgoing $4 million salary doesn’t bring back a game-changing asset.
Consider how Deuce’s skill set impacts New York’s production on both ends of the court. Averaging 12 points per game last year and shooting roughly 40% from three, he spaces the floor well with Brunson and punishes defenses that try to double the captain. Defensively, he is relentless at the point of attack. He picks up opposing guards full court, navigates ball screens, and takes on the most tiresome defensive assignment to give the primary producers a break. You cannot find that level of two-way reliability for under $4 million.
The Center Trap
Yeah, Yeah, I hear you…
But John… We desperately need a center!
I mean, you’re not entirely wrong. Big Mitch is gone and glancing at the center depth chart is enough to raise anyone’s blood pressure. Looking at Deuce as the best trade chip is tempting and convincing yourself we can flip him for a big man is quite easy to do.
But trading an elite rotational guard for a stopgap center that potentially might not play a whole lot is terrible roster management. Do the math for a minute. If we trade Deuce’s contract, we have to bring back a $4 million center. That gets the Knicks a deepl flawed, third-string big man destined to get hunted in the pick-and-roll and become nonexistent come playoff time. Anyone willing to trade a guy who plays closing minutes in crucial games for a big who will consistently rock the warmup gear should not be employed by an NBA front office.
New York can survive the early schedule by signing a low-cost option and patch the center rotation by committee, and even have OG play a little five (as Mike Brown even mentioned.) It gives them time to evaluate the landscape and see what shakes out throughout the league. Panicking in October and trading our best bench piece does nothing but hurts the organization’s title odds.
There is also precedent to consider. The Knicks brass were probably well-aware that they would not be able to afford to re-sign Mitchell Robinson this summer—and his departure is the reason why we’re in this pickle at center. Leon Rose must have heard some interest in Mitch before the in-season trade deadline, but he held on to the asset. Unless there’s a too–good-to-pass-up offer, we suspect he’ll do the same with Deuce.
So Long Forward Thinking
Forward-thinking got the Knicks where they are today. Focussing on the present is how they hang another championship banner up in Madison Square Garden for the second straight year.
Letting a talented, 26-year-old guard hit unrestricted free agency without getting anything in return goes against everything we have been conditioned to believe. It might sting a little but the ultimate goal of asset management isn’t to pretty up the perfect spreadsheet. It is to win a championship. Miles McBride helps this roster win games this season.
If we have to accept the 2026-27 campaign is essentially a one-year, rental of Deuce, so be it. Keep him on the roster! Let him lock down the opposition and hit clutch threes for us as we look for two in a row. If another franchise throws $20 million at him next summer, we simply song that catchy Fall Out Boy song and tell the man, “Thanks for the memories.”
The window for winning is right now. You don’t close it early just to save a few bucks and appease the armchair analysts.
