The Knicks Have a Decision to Make on Miles McBride
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Miles "Deuce" McBride could be entering free agency for the first time in his professional career this offseason. That will be a decision the New York Knicks front office has to make soon - whether to pick up the club option in his contract for the upcoming season or to let him walk.
The former West Virginia Mountaineer has played in 104 games in two seasons with the Knicks but has been limited in action. McBride is averaging 3.5 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 10.9 minutes per game.
Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, and Immanuel Quickley account for a big bulk of the minutes in the backcourt for New York, leaving very little opportunity for McBride. But when head coach Tom Thibodeau gives him an extended look, he produces.
"Spotrac lists just five Knicks either heading into free agency or having an opportunity to get there. Two are on two-way contracts. Another is a past-his-prime Derrick Rose, whose $15.6 million team option will be declined unless New York thinks it will need the salary slot for a major trade. One is Josh Hart, whose situation we'll detail later. The fifth is Miles McBride, who has a cheap, $1.8 million team option.
"That price feels right for a defense-first energizer, particularly if the Knicks believe he can form any type of offensive identity. That end has been a struggle through his first two seasons, evidenced most clearly by his career 33.7/28.2/66.7 shooting slash. Even nudging those numbers toward a 40/30/70 line would go a long way toward ensuring he isn't a massive liability on offense."
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