New York Knicks Rumors: Miles McBride Discussed In Trades

The NBA hot stove has been boiling over with New York Knicks rumors in recent days. Before the 2024 NBA Draft got underway, it was reported that they had made some major deals to get closer to contention. But, they likely aren’t done, with Miles McBride coming up in negotiations.

The first big move came on Tuesday night when it was reported they acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. Bojan Bogdanovic and a boatload of draft capital are heading to Brooklyn in exchange for the fourth Nova Knick.

On Wednesday, right before the draft festivities got underway, it was reported that New York agreed to a five-year, $212.5 million deal with OG Anunoby. Looking to save every penny possible, Leon Rose worked the phones all night.

The Knicks completed several trades, moving back in the draft to save money and picking up six second-round picks in the process. They selected Pacome Dadiet, an 18-year-old who played last season in Germany and could be a stash candidate.

If that is the route they take, Leon Rose would have saved about $5.5 million precious dollars. Why would an NBA team penny-pinch in this fashion? Because of the new collective bargaining rules, a dreaded hard cap is facing the team.

As a result, Knicks rumors continue to swirl. To avoid the first-apron hard cap, New York will need to amend the deal to acquire Bridges. They need to send out more money than they are bringing in to avoid the $179.7 million first apron.

As a result, there are Knicks rumors that Miles McBride could be on the move. As shared by Fred Katz of The Athletic, it is one avenue the team could go down, but one that they are looking to avoid if possible.

“The team discussed the possibility of including Miles McBride in the Bridges trade, according to league sources — and not because they are itching to trade away a 23-year-old fireball on a minuscule contract, only $13 million over the next three seasons. It’s math. If they wanted to, the Knicks could find a third team to route McBride to, acquire a future first-round pick in the process and avoid the first-apron hard cap. His salary plus Bogdanović’s would just barely top Bridges’. But they have since shied away from that scenario, a league source said,” Katz wrote.

This salary cap gymnastics ae why the Knicks have been trading back in the 2024 NBA Draft. Acquiring second-round picks is cheaper than filling the roster out with undrafted free agents.

All of this is being done in an effort to retain center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. The max New York can offer him is four years and $72 million. 

Knicks rumors have been all over the place about whether that would be enough money. With Nicolas Claxton receiving four years and $100 million from the Nets, Hartenstein should use that as a baseline for negotiations with other teams.

That could price New York out of his market. But, if they have intel that he wants to return, as teams can negotiate with their own free agents, work remains for that to become a possibility.