Miles McBride is grateful for the vote of confidence he received over the weekend in the form of a contract extension and the opportunity to finally get more playing time.
McBride, who signed a three-year contract worth $13 million following Saturday's trade to import OG Anunoby from Toronto, returned to the Knicks' nine-man rotation in Monday's 112-106 win over the Timberwolves.
“To be honest, it wasn't like that. [expected] Of course they do now, but they came up to me or my agent and talked to us and talked about their confidence in me,” McBride said of the new deal. “I was really grateful for the opportunity and for them believing in me and giving me the opportunity to prove it.
“It came out of the blue, but I’m glad I got through it safely. It shows that they believe in me and that my hard work really paid off. They were paying attention to me. And I think I've proven that.”
The third-year guard didn't make much of an impact in Monday's game, playing just seven minutes and scoring zero points, but he will be joining Jalen as the point guard along with Immanuel Quickley, who was traded to Toronto along with RJ Barrett in the Anunoby deal. – Will serve as Brunson's primary backup.
“They've helped me so much throughout my young career so far. They've been great players for this team, so it'll be sad to see them go,” McBride said. “But I want to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it.”
Anunoby, who could become a free agent after this season, is represented by CAA, the agency formerly run by Knicks president Leon Rose.
He said he is not thinking about the contract status at this time.
“I just take it day by day. I leave that to my agent,” Anunoby said. “We'll think about it when the time comes. But I'm really excited to be here.”
Guard Malachi Flynn, also acquired in a trade, did not play due to an ankle injury.
Jericho Sims was off the bench for the second consecutive game since being cleared to play. He had missed the past six games with an ankle sprain.
