The New York Knicks should be wishing for a great season from Miles McBride. Not only would he increase his value (should the Knicks place him on the trade block), but he would also be able to help take some of the load off Jalen Brunson in the regular season. However, a great campaign from McBride would also put the Knicks in a rough situation.
McBride will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Knicks will have to either re-sign him, trade him by the deadline, or risk losing him to the open market next summer. If he plays well, it would be great for his trade value and for his impact on the Knicks. But it would also increase his asking price, which means New York could be priced out completely.
At that point, the Knicks would have to make the tough decision of either trading him or losing him. And that’s a brutal reality to have to deal with.
Miles McBride playing well will make him more expensive
Obviously, from a team perspective, New York should be hoping for a great season from McBride. If the Knicks want to repeat as champions next season, they’ll need everyone to be in top form.
Brunson is the leader of the Knicks. Unquestionably so. But after what will be the shortest offseason of his career, it could be useful for him to have some additional rest this summer.
Not only could McBride help him with that, but so could a guy like Jose Alvarado. Having quality backup guards should allow Brunson a bit more time to rest during the regular season.
But again, the better McBride plays, the more expensive he could get. And for a Knicks team that clearly isn’t super interested in seeing its payroll get over the second apron, that’s a dangerous reality.
New York will already be pressed up against the second apron, and as things stand, it seems unlikely that it will be able to retain McBride. If he plays well next season and wants more money, he’ll be virtually unattainable.
At that point, the Knicks would probably be better off trading him at the deadline, which means him playing well should be good for his overall value on the trade market.
The point is, if McBride has a great season, it will be a roller coaster of emotions for the Knicks, even though fans will love to watch it unfold.
Because if he plays well, there’s almost no way New York will be able to pay him what he wants. And at that point, the Knicks may have no choice but to trade him by the deadline, or they could lose him for nothing next summer.
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