Deuce McBride is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth more than $90 million. If the contract Jordan Goodwin just agreed to with the Phoenix Suns is any indication, it won’t cost nearly that much for the New York Knicks to lock down their three-and-D guard.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Goodwin will sign a three-year, $19 million deal to stay in Phoenix. That number sets the market for point guard-sized defensive dynamos who aren’t really point guards.
Put another way: It might be a window into what it will take for the Knicks to keep McBride.
Jordan Goodwin and Deuce McBride have similarities
It’ll be genuinely shocking if Deuce signs a contract that pays him south of $7 million per year. Unlike him, Goodwin had to make the Suns roster last season while on a non-guaranteed contract.
McBride is also the more dangerous shooter. Though Goodwin is knocking down 37.3 percent of his triples over the past two seasons, his mark comes on 6.3 attempts per 36 minutes. Deuce was just one of four qualified players to shoot over 41 percent on at least nine three-point attempts per 36 minutes. He joined the likes of Sam Merrill, Isaiah Joe, and Kon Knueppel.
Still, Goodwin has McBride beat on the defensive end. He is the better screen navigator and disruptor, and at 6’3”, he offers more positional malleability. Over 45 percent of his defensive possessions last season came versus wings, easily outstripping McBride’s sub-31 percent share, according to BBall Index.
As player archetypes, though, Goodwin and Deuce breathe the same air. Neither is big enough to be considered an outright 2-guard, let alone a wing. Yet, neither is a talented enough playmaker to run the offense as a floor general.
These three-and-D small guards are inherently difficult to evaluate. Historically, they are valued less than the pure 2-guard who just gets buckets. And Goodwin’s new deal suggests that is still the case.
Goodwin’s contract with the Suns might be good news for the Knicks
First Mitchell Robinson, and now Deuce McBride? The Suns just won’t stop helping the Knicks understand the market for their own players.
In all seriousness, Goodwin’s contract is an encouraging sign for New York. Even if McBride is in line for more than $6.3 million per year, a sub-6’3” non-point guard clearly won’t have offers for that much more.
Go ahead and paint the Knicks’ front office every shade of relieved. Given how likely they are to lose Robinson and potentially Landry Shamet amid owner James Dolan’s refusal to enter the second apron, McBride’s departure after next season feels fait accompli on some level. New York’s payroll will only get more challenging to navigate unless another one of its core players accepts a massive discount in their next deal.
As someone who’s earned under $20 million for his career, McBride has no incentive to take less he’s worth on the open market. The thing is, if his market is anything like Goodwin’s, the Knicks won’t need him to.
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