Miles \u201cDeuce\u201d McBride arrived in New York as the 36th pick in the 2021 draft, a short-ish, square-jawed defender with a shaky jump shot. The inconsistent three-ball never worried Tom Thibodeau. The grizzled skipper loved watching a 6\u20192\u201d guard stalk ballhandlers the length of the court, the basketball equivalent of a German shepherd harassing a cockapoo.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the offense came around. Deuce put in plenty of reps with Westchester, waited behind veteran guards on the MSG depth chart and spent marathon hours in the gym rebuilding his jumper. His three-point shooting went from his greatest liability to one of his greatest strengths, rising from 25% on 1.7 attempts per game as a rookie to 41% on 6.6 attempts during the championship season. His playing time increased accordingly. Although still primarily a reserve, he went from nine minutes per game to 26.<\/p>\n
When RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were traded to the Raptors, Leon Rose\u2019s next order of business was locking down the promising McBride, who had so far been buried on the bench. On the day of the trade, December 30, 2023, the former West Virginia Mountaineer, then 23, agreed to a three-year, $13 million fully guaranteed contract extension. The front-loaded deal began the following season and runs through 2026\u201327, with his salary decreasing each year.<\/p>\n
Deuce significantly outperformed it. He stepped into a larger rotation role, improved his efficiency, contributed as a two-way guard and posted career highs in points, minutes and assists. He became a reliable sparkplug off the bench and an occasional starter (43 so far). Better still, his contract provided the Knicks with roster flexibility under the league\u2019s salary-cap and apron restrictions. Recent estimates have placed his market value at $10 million to $12 million per year, if not higher, while his actual cap hits remained remarkably low: approximately $4.7 million in 2024\u201325, $4.3 million in 2025\u201326 and less than $4 million in 2026\u201327.<\/p>\n
McBride further proved his value during the championship run, playing through lingering pain after February hernia surgery sidelined him for roughly two months. He described the sensation as \u201clike someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time,\u201d yet still played anyway.<\/p>\n