Ayo Dosunmu is a perfect trade target for a New York Knicks team that needs extra ball-handling and perimeter defense, and doesn’t have the assets or flexibility to take on a bunch of salary. But that idealism falls apart if landing him requires the front office to send out Deuce McBride.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic thinks it will. In his latest mailbag, he writes that “any deal for Dosunmu would have to start with” McBride. If that’s the case, consider it a deal-breaker for the Knicks.
Deuce McBride is too valuable for the Knicks to trade
You don’t need to be a fly on the wall of Leon Rose’s office to know that New York won’t meaningfully consider moving on from McBride until this offseason, when he’s entering the final year of his contract. That is largely how the Knicks have operated under this regime: Either they extend players, or they move on from them once they’re a year out from free agency.
Mitchell Robinson’s last foray into free agency—and potentially his next one, too—are pretty much the lone exceptions. And you know what? There’s a chance McBride joins him.
New York could end up extending McBride this summer. If it doesn’t, he’s so darn cheap the Knicks may decide to let things ride rather than trade him, and continue reaping the benefits from one of the NBA’s best bargains.
McBride is on the books for just under $4 million next season. That is highway robbery. Not only is Deuce the team’s peskiest point-of-attack defender, but he’s morphed into one of the league’s most accurate three-point shooters. Jamal Murray, Cam Spencer, Sam Merrill, and Max Christie are the only other players who have made as many triples (83) while matching McBride’s long-range clip (43.9 percent).
Extracting that production out of someone earning under 2.5 percent of the salary cap is legitimately insane. But it’s not as crazy as moving him for Dosunmu. Though the latter offers more ball-handling and defensive versatility, he’s about to enter unrestricted free agency. His next salary could feasibly quadruple what McBride will make in 2026-27.
Granted, Deuce will not remain this cheap forever. He has just one year left on his current deal. But that’s a huge difference to the Knicks. A single additional season of below-market service means everything to a team that could enter the second apron long before filling out its 2026-27 roster.
Ayo Dosunmu is not completely off the table…yet
None of this means the Knicks should cross off Dosunmu from their hypothetical wish list. Just because Edwards and others believe it will take Deuce to land him doesn’t mean it actually will.
New York can make the salary math work in other ways. Guerschon Yabusele plus Pacome Dadiet get the job done. The Knicks could then include the Washington Wizards pick, which is slated to become 2026 and 2027 second-rounders, as additional compensation.
Maybe another team is willing to give up more. The above offer, though, is far from laughable. The Bulls cannot hope to clean up in any Dosunmu deal with his free agency on the horizon, and this year’s Wizards second will convey in the early 30s.
If it takes other assets, like Tyler Kolek or even more seconds, the Knicks still need to have a conversation. But if Chicago insists on McBride anchoring the package, talks should end before they ever truly start.