The Deuce McBride situation in New York is heading toward a split, but the real issue may not be the dollars attached to his next contract. The Knicks’ biggest problem is simpler than that: they don’t have the room on the roster to give him the kind of role he’s likely to want.
McBride is entering the final year of his deal, and the assumption around the Knicks is that he’ll be too expensive to retain after next season for a team that, at least so far, seems reluctant to move into the second apron. But the market for small guards who aren’t full-time engines of an offense points to a different conclusion. His next payday is not the main obstacle.
The depth chart is.
McBride will be 26 this September, right in the heart of his prime, and the timing matters. He has every reason to want more.
He’s already an NBA champion, and this past season marked the first time he averaged more than 25 minutes a game. Even so, he has never been a night-to-night starter, and he has never really been a guaranteed closer either.
That’s where New York runs into a wall. The Knicks are not about to pull Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, or Josh Hart out of the starting group to make room for McBride.
There was a time when starting him over Hart could at least be discussed. That conversation is long gone after New York ended its championship drought.
Even the sixth-man lane is getting crowded. Landry Shamet brings shooting and more size.
Jose Alvarado offers ball-handling and passing. Jordan Clarkson is also expected back, and Tyler Kolek could factor in if his development keeps moving.
With that many guards in the mix, the Knicks look far more likely to use a rotating first option off the bench than hand McBride a fixed spot.
So while the money matters - New York is walking tight financial lines, and McBride is due for a raise from the $4 million he’s making now - the contract projection itself doesn’t look outrageous. Given the current free-agent market, it seems unlikely he’ll more than double his salary. History suggests, if not guarantees, that his next deal will start at under $10 million.
That kind of number is hardly the problem. The bigger issue is that another team can probably offer him a clearer path to more minutes and more responsibility. If the money is close, that opportunity may be the difference that pushes him toward free agency.
At that point, a trade starts to feel inevitable. Outside of Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have shown a willingness to move important rotation players when extension talks don’t line up. McBride could end up in the same category, not because the price tag is impossible, but because New York can’t really promise him the role he wants - or deserves.
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