The Knicks want to add two more veterans to their final roster, which means they need to make a trade. Any fans who were worrying that Miles McBride could be the player on the move to create space will be pleased to hear that it's unlikely to happen, as SNY's Ian Begley called the rumors purely speculative.
Speaking on Knicks Film School, Begley said, "He's [McBride] got high very high value, teams are waiting for the Knicks to really make him available in a serious way, and it hasn't happened as of last week."
The Knicks are going all in for a championship this season. They currently have enough room to sign one more veteran to a minimum contract, but reportedly want to add two more vets. The leaders in the clubhouse are Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Mathews. To facilitate the deal, the Knicks will have to move someone, with Begley making it clear that McBride is not on the shortlist of likely candidates.
McBride will play an important role for the Knicks this season
It makes sense that teams started calling about McBride once news broke that the Knicks were looking to open up space to convert two of their non-guaranteed veteran minimum contracts to guaranteed deals.
McBride is an elite role player, capable of spacing the floor and knocking down shots while also doing some of the ball-handling. He is also a great defender who can lock down opposing ball-handlers and get around the league's best screens. On top of that, he is on an incredibly affordable contract, being owed just $4.3 million this season.
While the Knicks could likely get some valuable picks if they did decide to move McBride, what he provides to this team is simply more valuable. The Knicks think they have a championship roster, and trading their sixth or seventh most important player doesn't make sense.
The argument for moving McBride
The Knicks have been dancing around the second arpon for a while now. The argument for moving McBride is that the Knicks are going to have to pay him soon, and he's going to want a significant bump. The roster is expensive as is, and multiple other key players are up for extensions soon as well.
However, that is a bridge you cross later. For now, McBride is going to be a big part of what the Knicks hope is a championship-caliber season.