Knicks Lose Breakout Star in Expansion Draft Projection

ESPN experts have a potential expansion team eyeing a breakout star in the New York Knicks' backcourt.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) brings the ball up court during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

An expansion draft could have the New York Knicks bidding deuces to Deuce.

ESPN experts anticipating future NBA expansion sent Knicks guard Miles McBride to a hypothetical new Seattle squad in a series of mock selections. The topic of NBA expansion has gained steam thanks to comments from commissioner Adam Silver at last week's board of governors meetings.

Las Vegas and Seattle have been two of the more popular destinations and ESPN staged an immediate mock draft with those two cities, with the idea that they would begin play in 2025-26. Picking the Seattle team against Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton used his second choice on McBride, reasoning that his recent breakout campaign and affordability would make him an attractive starting option for an NBA newcomer.

Dec 9, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

"The extension McBride signed that made him New York's backup point guard after the Immanuel Quickley trade looks remarkably team-friendly, paying him $4.3 million in 2025-26 and $4 million in 2026-27," Pelton noted. "After McBride averaged 11.0 points per game in the playoffs, he could be my first starting point guard. That made him the choice over Mitchell Robinson, who was also left unprotected."

Set to enter his fourth season, McBride had a bit of a fringe presence on the Knicks' roster until Quickley was dealt to Toronto in the deal that acquired OG Anunoby. Primarily known as a defensive talent, McBride averaged 10.7 points on over 44 percent shooting in 49 appearances (including 14 starts) in the 2024 calendar year.

There's no denying, however, that things have gotten just a little bit hairy for McBride, as the Knicks have made several backcourt additions to their depth chart. McBride is still set to stand as the primary spell option for Jalen Brunson but he'll have to compete with newcomers such as Tyler Kole, Cameron Payne, and Landry Shamet.

The NBA has been stationed at 30 teams since the 2004-05 season, when the Charlotte Bobcats (since retconned to be a continuation of the original Charlote Hornets franchise) took the floor. The Knicks did not lose anyone in that draft (whose primary yield was Gerald Wallace) but notably lost Greg Anthony to the Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies in 1995's proceedings.

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