Alexander Wilson
The Knicks may be staring at the kind of move that makes complete front-office sense and still feels gross to fans.
Miles “Deuce” McBride has been named the team’s likeliest player to be moved before the 2026 NBA Draft ends, according to SI’s Devon Platana. Pacome Dadiet is also in the trade-chip conversation, but McBride is the cleaner basketball asset and the more painful fan favorite to imagine packing up.
I get why this would sting. Miles McBride became a real Knicks development win, averaged a career-high 12.0 points during the regular season, and shot 41.3% from three. He is cheap, tough, homegrown, and exactly the type of player fans usually yell at teams for giving away too early.
The Knicks have a cold Deuce McBride decision
The problem is that championship rosters do not stay romantic for long. They get expensive, cramped, and brutally honest.
McBride’s postseason did not help him. His scoring dipped to 5.6 points per game, his field-goal rate fell to 33.3%, and his minutes slid from 19.7 in Round 1 to 13.2 in the NBA Finals. The Knicks still won the title, which creates the uncomfortable part of the argument.
If a team proves it can survive the biggest games without leaning heavily on a player, that player becomes easier to discuss in trade rooms. Harsh? Absolutely. Also how contenders keep the machine moving.
Miles McBride still has real trade value
The Knicks should not dump McBride just to feel busy on draft night. His $3.9 million cap hit is cheap enough to matter, and another team could easily talk itself into the defense, shooting growth, and playoff experience.
That value cuts both ways. It makes him useful in New York, but it also makes him one of the few movable pieces who could actually bring something back. Dadiet is younger and has draft pedigree, but McBride is the player a team can plug into a rotation tomorrow without squinting too hard.
There is also the roster squeeze. Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, and the second-apron conversation all live in the same messy offseason folder. If the Knicks need flexibility, McBride becomes a logical pressure-release valve.
I would not rush this just because the rumor cycle is loud. McBride has earned more respect than a quick salary-clearing shove out the door. But if the Knicks can turn him into draft capital, cheaper rotation control, or a move that helps keep the title core intact, the front office has to listen.
Fans can hate the idea and still understand it. Welcome to winning, where even the good stories can end with a trade call.
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