The Knicks may not need to look far if Miles McBride’s future in New York gets murky. Mohamed Diawara is already on the roster, and the rookie’s profile gives the team at least a plausible fallback if McBride eventually moves on.
That possibility exists because the Knicks have spent the offseason drawing a hard line on payroll. Once Mitchell Robinson left for the Boston Celtics, the front office kept the rest of the rotational free agents in play, but Miles “Deuce” McBride became the longest-tenured player left in the mix. He is headed into the final season of his second NBA contract, and unless the Knicks were simply holding off until the 2027 offseason to make another move while staying away from the salary cap’s second apron, McBride does not look especially likely to stay in New York City.
That leaves the Knicks in a tricky spot. McBride still projects as important to a title defense, but his trade value is slipping with every passing day. If the team can’t keep him around, Diawara could be the internal answer, even if the two players don’t look much alike on paper.
The physical contrast is obvious. Diawara is listed at 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, while McBride is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds.
McBride, though, has long played bigger than his size. He brings strength, a nearly 6-foot-9 wingspan, and the kind of defensive toughness that lets him check multiple positions without getting moved off his spot.
Offensively, he’s still more of a catch-and-shoot player than a self-creator, because he has yet to build the handle or rim-finishing package that would let him become something more.
That’s part of why his game resembles a modern wing more than a traditional point guard. In that sense, the comparison points more toward OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges than Jalen Brunson.
Diawara is at a different stage, but the overlap is there. At 21, he still needs to fill out his frame before he can fully take advantage of his length. Even so, his lack of physical creation is offset by ball-handling and playmaking ability that help him affect the game in a similar way to McBride.
Both players can create in a pinch, mostly when the shot clock is running down. Most of their value comes from finishing possessions in Mike Brown’s system, and the biggest part of that is 3-point shooting.
Diawara didn’t take many threes, but he hit about 37% of his 1.9 attempts per game. McBride is the more established shooter, with more time and G-League reps behind him to build those numbers. Still, the early signs from Diawara were strong enough to hint at real marksman potential, especially in limited minutes.
Shooting coach Peter Patton, who is also an NBA Champion, will be part of the effort to turn Diawara into a reliable shooter.
If the Knicks’ impressive sophomore keeps adding strength and continues developing on both sides of the floor, he could grow into McBride’s exact role. His 6-foot-9 height and 7-foot-4 wingspan might even make him a better option against bigger wings.
In Other News...
Knicks Just Lost A Rotation Piece They May Really Miss
The Knicks had been counting on Jeremy Sochan as one of those useful, hard-to-replace pieces who can steady a lineup without needing the ball. His appeal in New York came from his defensive versatility and the kind of flexibility that lets a coach mix and match matchups without changing the whole game plan, even if he was never going to be a primary scoring option.
Now Sochan is headed to Portland on a one-year deal, leaving the Knicks to patch those minutes with their returning veterans. It is not the sort of move that dominates a summer headline, but it does matter for a roster that valued his ability to cover ground and fit almost anywhere, while the Trail Blazers hope a fresh start can help him rebuild his standing. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Fans Are Split On What Karl-Anthony Towns Should Get
Karl-Anthony Towns future with the Knicks is already becoming one of the summers biggest talking points, and it is not just about whether he fits on the floor. He is eligible for a potential four-year, $272 million contract, a figure that instantly pulls the conversation into the realm of roster-building, long-term planning and whether New York can keep its core intact without running straight into the leagues luxury tax machinery.
For the Knicks, the issue is as much about flexibility as it is about talent. Towns is the kind of player who changes the calculus for a team, but his market value also comes with the kind of price tag that can squeeze every other decision around him. So the question hanging over the summer is not only what Towns deserves, but what New York can realistically manage if it wants to keep the group together and still preserve enough room to build around it. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brunson Stares Down Jaylen Brown At Wedding Goes Viral
A private wedding in Greenwich, Conn., turned into an offseason NBA gathering on Aug. 1, with Donovan Mitchell and Coco Jones hosting a ceremony that drew a heavy dose of star power. Among the guests were Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, Josh Hart, James Harden, Bam Adebayo, Russell Wilson and Ciara, and the event quickly spilled onto social media as the kind of crossover moment that only happens when multiple leagues and rivalries land in the same room.
For Knicks fans, the most eye-catching clip was Brunson and Brown locking into a playful staredown, a snapshot that traveled fast because it captured both the edge and the familiarity that define these players off the court. The wedding was full of those kinds of brief interactions, with the leagues regular-season battles giving way to a looser, more celebratory backdrop, even if one viral exchange stood out from the rest. [Read more 🡒]