Miles McBride Is Making It Painfully Clear Why Knicks Can’t Trade Him

Deuce McBride is showing, once again, that he is more valuable to the New York Knicks than whatever draft capital they can receive for dealing.

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) warms up prior to the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Deuce McBride has been electric on both sides of the ball over the last few weeks. Averaging 19.2 minutes a game, McBride is shooting 44% from three, and lately he's been better than his 8.0 points per game suggests.

His five threes against the Cavaliers are certainly not why they dropped that one. He added another three makes from deep against the Pacers. Defensively, he's also been pretty consistent. McBride has a 109.6 defensive rating this season. It's a small sample size, but it's an improvement from his 116.1 from last year.

As Mike Brown searches for the best units that work together while trying to salvage Mikal Bridges' confidence in what's an extended shooting funk even by his standards, McBride has emerged as an important piece for the Knicks.

Ever since going 1-for-7 from beyond the arc against the Bulls, McBride has more than salvaged this young year, averaging 9.1 points a game and shooting 46% from three since then. The Knicks have struggled to climb back up to .500, but McBride's shooting is partially why they're at least 6-6 instead of falling further behind in the standings as of late.

Because of how well McBride has played, any talks about trading the guard should be put on hold, at least for now. This version of the guard, who can knock down multiple shots from deep, stretch opponents on defense and be a force on the other end, is the exact kind of player New York needs for a title defense—especially with the team's current state.

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guards James Harden (1) and Peyton Watson (8) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

More valuable than any pick

Leon Rose and company have to be honest with themselves about whether they value the picks that come with dealing McBride or his play on the floor. Keeping him could mean they lose out on recouping some of his value, but with the Knicks having a timer on the core since they're all getting older, every move from here on out should be about winning now. Keeping McBride would signal that.

Winning now should matter more to the front office than whatever young player they can snag in a future draft from a McBride trade.

It's not to say that McBride is untradable. As the season moves on, Coach Brown will get a better look at how this roster works. McBride could become one of their better trade chips down the line, but that shouldn't be on their minds in November.

For now, though, McBride is just too valuable. One of the best things the Knicks brass did entering the year was keep McBride, harkening back to the adage that sometimes the trades you don't make end up being the most important.

For now, that old sports proverb holds true for where the Knicks are with McBride. Just imagine a world where he is playing elsewhere, and Bridges was still going through his shooting struggles. The noise around him would be even louder than it already is.

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