Source: Knicks trade for Jose Alvarado, lose Miles McBride to injury and deal Guerschon Yabusele
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert
While the days leading up to Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline were filled with deals involving stars — and the one star who didn’t move in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks worked along the margins rather than making a big swing.
The Knicks worked a three-team deal, first sending Guerschon Yabusele to Chicago for Dalen Terry, and then working New Orleans into the deal and shifting Terry and two future second-round picks to the Pelicans to obtain Jose Alvarado, sources said.
The deals served multiple purposes. The immediate effect is plugging Alvarado in as a defensive backup point guard, which gained an urgency with league sources indicating that Miles McBride will undergo surgery Friday to repair a sports hernia injury, a procedure that could sideline him at least through the end of the regular season.
According to a league source McBride had a full evaluation of his left ankle due to soreness from a previous injury. During this period, he had additional evaluations for other ongoing ailments that he’s been dealing with that haven't caused him to miss any time. Those tests revealed a core muscle injury. Another league source said surgery will come Friday and recovery is expected to put him on target for a return for the playoffs.
Alvarado, a 27-year-old Brooklyn native, can make up for some of the defensive contributions off the bench that McBride provides, although at 6-foot, he doesn’t possess the size the Knicks were seeking as they scoured the market for help. He does give them a player, like McBride, who will harass an opponent for the length of the floor.
And he has never been the offensive weapon that McBride has developed into through his career. McBride is currently 18th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at 42% and was averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game.
Tyler Kolek has served as the primary backup point guard but doesn’t possess the defensive prowess of Alvarado or McBride. Alvarado, who has one more year guaranteed on his contract, was averaging 7.9 points, shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc, for the Pelicans.
The Knicks also helped provide themselves with a cushion below the second apron, opening up the possibility of adding another piece as they gear up for the postseason. Before dealing Yabusele, the Knicks were just $140,000 below the second apron on the salary cap, which would not have allowed them to sign another player until April 2. By moving Yabusele’s salary for this season and plugging in Alvarado’s $4.5 million contract, the Knicks are now $1.1 million away from the second apron and can sign someone immediately.
Yabusele was signed in the summer to a two-year deal, with the second year being a player option, and it was important to the Knicks' plans to clear that potential deal off of the books for next season. The Knicks had very little room to work below the second apron and currently have three rotation players who are potential free agents — Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Mo Diawara — they would need to fit into the payroll.
"I imagined our journey differently, but in an athlete’s life, things don’t always go as planned," Yabusele wrote on Twitter. "Still, I’m grateful for every moment wearing this legendary jersey. Thank you to the staff, my teammates, and the fans for the support and energy."
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
