Deuce McBride's Contract Extension Was a Touch of Genius by Leon Rose
The most underrated move by Leon Rose may have been locking up one of his draft picks
The headline for the New York Knicks on December 30th was trading away RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa. Slipping through the cracks, however, was Leon Rose extending Miles McBride on a three-year deal wort $13 million dollars.
Prior to the extension, McBride had played in just 19 games while seeing a little over five minutes per contest. During that stretch, McBride was averaging just 2.02 PPG with less than a rebound and an assist per outing.
Leon Rose clearly knew that Deuce McBride would see a larger role with the trades and moved quickly to lock the guard up long-term. The deal now looks like one of the best contracts in basketball as McBride has become a vital piece of the team.
After his contract extension, McBride has appeared in 39 games while playing 22.95 minutes per contest, a large increase in his role. During this stretch, McBride is scoring nearly 10 PPG along with 1.9 APG and 1.7 RPG.
The biggest concern after the Knicks traded away Quickley was if the team's bench production would fall off a cliff. Instead, McBride has elevated his game becoming a key part in the Knicks' second-half success.
The energy McBride brings while showing offensive production makes him a spark plug off the bench -- while his defense allows him to close games as Anunoby deals with injuries.
The leap McBride has made in the season leaves plenty to be optimistic about going forward. He could easily elevate his game further and become a consistent double-digit scorer.
While McBride continues to develop, the Knicks will control him through the 2026-27 season. The Knicks will pay McBride a bargain $4 million per year giving the team cap flexibility to lock up key pieces such as Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Leon Rose deserves loads of credit
The majority of the praise for the turnaround of the Knicks has been given to Tom Thibodeau and rightfully so as the team is one of the better-coached teams in the league. However, what Leon Rose has done building this team hasn't been acknowledged enough.
Rose brought in Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson on deals many laughed at but, now both players are NBA All-Stars. He signed Isaiah Hartenstein and Donte DiVincenzo on bargain deals which have been spotlighted with injuries to Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby.
The defensive identity of Thibodeau was helped by Rose's trades for Josh Hart and Anunoby who are two of the league's best defenders on the wing. This team has been built incredibly for what Coach Thibodeau wants the team to look like and Rose deserves his flowers.
More New York Knicks News:
manual