The Knicks spent their offseason trying to keep their championship roster together without crossing the NBA’s second apron. That balancing act already cost them one familiar face this summer.
Now another long-tenured piece of that title team is speaking up, and he does not sound like a guy who’s happy with how things are going.
Miles McBride Opens Up on Knicks Contract Situation
Miles McBride just won a championship with the Knicks a few months ago. Now he’s talking about his contract, and it does not sound good.
“I’m a little disappointed. I want to be in New York. So yeah, it’s a little hard at times. I’ve played through injury. I’ve been through a lot with this team. So you know, I’d love to get something done,” McBride said, via Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
Winfield reported that McBride wants to stay in New York long term, but the Knicks will not cross the second apron to make that happen. His future with the team is cloudy at best right now.
McBride is entering the final year of his three year, thirteen million dollar deal. He missed the August extension deadline without a new contract, so he also cannot be traded before the season starts. The holdup comes down to money, and it starts at the top.
Why the Knicks are Holding the Line Financially
James Dolan has been clear all offseason that he does not want to push the team past the second apron. That threshold comes with real limits on how much roster flexibility a team keeps.
That stance already cost the Knicks once. Mitchell Robinson left in free agency this summer and signed with the Boston Celtics instead of coming back.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are also extension eligible right now, but both still have multiple years left on their current deals. That gives the front office room to wait on them longer than it can with McBride.
McBride has turned into one of the better three and D guards off any bench in the league, and his defense has become something this team leans on. That kind of production tends to come with a bigger price tag, and it makes him one of the more valuable trade pieces in the league too, if New York ever decides a trade makes more sense than a new deal.
McBride has said all offseason that staying is what he wants most. His latest comments just make clear that the decision is not really his to make.
For now, McBride heads into a season defending a title while playing out a contract year with no real answer in sight. The Knicks have chosen to wait him out. Whether that turns into a new deal or a trade before February is still an open question.
Miles McBride Makes Frustration Clear With Latest Knicks Comments