Throughout the offseason, Miles McBride trade rumors were swirling amid stalled extension talks and controversies surrounding the troubling, long-term financial situation the New York Knicks face.
Just before the start of the regular season, some rumblings said the Knicks had been "aggressive" in trade talks regarding their sixth-year guard, while SNY's Insider Ian Begley went on record to say he finds it difficult to believe that both McBride and New York can come to an agreement on a new deal "that everybody's happy with."
Because of this, many have and continue to view the 26-year-old as a legitimate, in-season trade candidate, and, with the recent string of injuries for the OKC Thunder, perhaps they could prove to be the ideal trade destination that would help all parties find a proper resolution.
Knicks should look to Thunder if they opt to trade Miles McBride
Now, the Knicks shouldn't want to trade McBride.
After all, he's proven to be a high-quality 3&D contributor throughout his tenure with New York and just posted his best season to date, averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting a lights-out 41.3 percent from deep en route to the club's first championship in 53 years.
However, given the slew of new deals that will need to be handed out to objectively more important pieces to New York's core, such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and, come next summer, Jalen Brunson, coupled with owner James Dolan's reluctance to enter the second apron, the Knicks might end up feeling like they need to trade him.
In such an event, the Thunder would be the ideal partner.
With the recent gut-punch injuries to two of their key players, Jalen Williams (dislocated left ankle/ fractured fibula) and Cason Wallace (torn labrum), OKC now has a serious need for extra wing talent.
In addition, the aforementioned injuries are expected to grant Oklahoma City two Disabled Player Exceptions, one valued at $15.04 million and another at $3.7 million. McBride's $3.9 million salary seamlessly fits into the former range, while simultaneously abiding by the caveat that any player acquired through a DPE must be on an expiring contract.
The best part of these exceptions is that McBride could simply be absorbed into the Thunder's roster without having to send any existing salaries back New York's way.
Add on the fact that Oklahoma City is literally hoarding an overabundance of future draft capital that they literally couldn't use all on themselves if they wanted to, and there appears to be a perfect opportunity for the Knicks to not only shed Deuce's expiring deal off their books for the coming year without bringing on a player in return, but also possibly bring back a future first in exchange.
All things considered, striking on a trade with the Thunder seems to have the potential to be an ideal situation for New York should they ultimately feel obligated to move on from McBride this season.
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