The Knicks’ search for a third big has put Deuce McBride right in the middle of a familiar kind of roster squeeze. And if New York does decide to move him, the return has to solve more than one problem.
That’s the heart of the issue with McBride: he’s entering the final year of his contract, and a raise from the $4 million he’s making now is coming. With owner James Dolan positively petrified of entering the second apron, there hasn’t even been a hint of an extension. Plenty of smart people think McBride will simply price himself out of New York if he reaches the open market.
The Knicks also have other financial priorities looming. Both Karl-Anthony Towns, who has a player option, and Josh Hart, who has a team option, could need new contracts before next season.
Under those constraints, paying them would come before Deuce. And with so many guards on the roster, McBride’s defense and three-point volume don’t make him untouchable.
So yes, the speculation makes sense. But if the Knicks trade him, the move can’t just be about patching one hole.
Trading McBride for another center or any player headed for free agency would only kick the same problem down the road. They’d still have to pay the replacement.
Moussa Diabate of the Charlotte Hornets fits the basketball side of the equation. He’d be a strong fit for New York’s roster.
But he’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and that’s where the math gets ugly again. The Knicks are already within $8 million of the second apron in 2027-28, and that’s with only nine players on the books.
Keeping Diabate and staying clear of the apron would be a hard sell, even if Towns does his best impression of Jalen Brunson.
That’s why the safer play may be to keep McBride rather than chase a short-term answer. If the Knicks are going to move him, the return should come with some cost control attached.
Names like Dylan Cardwell, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Yang Hansen fit that idea better. They may not be as clean a basketball fit as Diabate, but each one has at least one cost-controlled year left on his current deal.
For a team staring at rising operating costs, that kind of certainty matters. If McBride gets dealt, it needs to be for a player who helps now and doesn’t create the same exact headache later.
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Tyler Kolek sits closer to the center of that conversation than he did a few days ago. Mike Brown has already shown a willingness to trust Kolek in meaningful moments even with the defensive concerns that come with his game, and that kind of faith can matter in a competition where opportunities are never handed out freely. For all the help this opens up on the guard side, it also leaves New York with another decision looming as it weighs how best to balance the backcourt against bigger needs elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]