Miles McBride showed plenty in the New York Knicks’ 122-120 win over the Toronto Raptors, even if his minutes were limited in the final preseason tune-up. In just 13 minutes, he knocked down 3 of 6 shots from deep, finished with nine points, and added a rebound and two assists. It was another reminder of the shooting touch that has made him such a useful piece in New York.
But McBride’s performance wasn’t the only thing hanging over the night. The bigger question remains what the Knicks plan to do about him. He wants to stay, and his camp has made that much clear, but a trade still feels more likely than a new deal keeping him in New York long term.
His agent, Mark Bartelstein, addressed the situation in a recent SiriusXM interview and made his client’s position obvious. The two sides had spoken before extension talks were eventually shut down.
"We've spoken to the Knicks throughout the summer," Bartelstein said on Saturday, according to the New York Post's Jared Schwartz. "Miles, like any player in his position, would love to get an extension.
I think he's earned it. He's been a huge part of where that organization has gone over the last three or four years.
He's been their sixth man."
That desire, though, may not be enough to change the Knicks’ broader plans. McBride may be coming off the kind of season that could strengthen his case, but he still appears to be fourth in line among the team’s extension priorities.
Jalen Brunson sits at the center of everything. The Knicks’ next move has to be built around getting Brunson paid, and he is not taking another discount.
After that comes the next layer of financial decisions, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart also in the mix. McBride is right behind them, and that reality makes his future harder to read. If the Knicks need room to handle Brunson and Towns, someone like McBride could wind up elsewhere, either this season or next.
The second apron has already shaped how the Knicks operate, and the front office has shown it will make tough calls when needed. Mitchell Robinson’s exit to the Boston Celtics is the recent example, a move driven more by roster economics than by anything involving the player himself.
So even with McBride’s popularity and his preference to remain in New York, the logic of the roster keeps pointing in the same direction. Leon Rose and the front office have to put Brunson first and Towns second. From there, McBride could either stay through the season, as the Knicks chase another run, or become part of a trade package that brings back picks.
In Other News...
Knicks Frontcourt Plan Still Feels Unsettled After Dallas Center Drama
The Mavericks frontcourt picture took another turn when Dallas waived veteran center Dwight Powell before the roster cutdown deadline, easing a situation that had already been complicated by the clubs decision to match a two-year offer sheet for restricted free agent Moussa Ciss. Ciss had been viewed as a possible casualty if the Mavericks needed to keep Powell around, which made the move worth watching for teams around the league, including the Knicks, who had shown interest in the young center.
For New York, the ripple effect matters because the Knicks already settled on James Wiseman as their third-string center, leaving their own depth chart unchanged for now. Still, the fact that Ciss was even in the conversation underscores how unsettled the back end of the frontcourt can be this time of year, and it keeps the door open for more movement if another opportunity presents itself. [Read more 🡒]
Embiid Just Added More Heat To The Knicks Ring Night
Joel Embiid has already made clear where he plans to be when the Knicks stage their championship ring night, and it will not be courtside. The Philadelphia star said he does not intend to watch New York receive its rings and expects to stay in the locker room during the ceremony, a small but very real layer of edge for a game that was already going to carry some extra emotion.
The broader backdrop is just as important for the Knicks, because the opponent they need to get ready for is not the usual one. This matchup will come against a different 76ers roster that includes LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, which means New York has plenty to sort through beyond the pregame ceremony and Embiid's stance on it. For a team trying to keep the focus on basketball, the night already has enough noise around it. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Chose Size Over Bruce Brown For One Telling Reason
With their 14-man roster now set, the Knicks made a clear bet on structure over familiarity, waiving veteran guard Bruce Brown and bringing in James Wiseman instead. It was the kind of late-summer roster choice that says plenty about what a team thinks it still needs, and Mike Brown made clear the appeal of Wiseman had as much to do with the overall shape of the roster as it did with any one players rsum.
Brown pointed to Wisemans youth, athleticism and fit in the big man rotation, a clue that New York wanted another body with size in a spot where depth can disappear quickly over a long season. Bruce Browns versatility and track record still made him a meaningful option, but the Knicks ultimately chose positional balance and frontcourt insurance, leaving one final roster spot to reflect a bigger priority than simply keeping a proven veteran on hand. [Read more 🡒]