Knicks trade for Jose Alvarado, lose Deuce McBride to injury and deal Guerschon Yabusele
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert
Hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday, the Knicks swung a deal to acquire a player long rumored to be bound for New York.
No, not that one.
Although the days leading up to the deadline were filled with rumors of the Knicks’ chase of Giannis Antetokounmpo, they swung for a smaller deal — but one that was on their radar for months — acquiring point guard Jose Alvarado.
The move came in conjunction with league sources revealing that Deuce McBride, a key part of the Knicks’ rotation, will undergo surgery Friday to repair a sports hernia, a procedure that could sideline him at least through the remainder of the regular season.
The Knicks worked in stages, first sending Guerschon Yabusele to Chicago for Dalen Terry and then flipping Terry and two future second-round picks to the Pelicans to obtain Alvarado.
The deals served multiple purposes. The immediate effect is to plug in Alvarado as a backup point guard who is strong defensively, providing insurance with McBride sidelined.
According to a league source, McBride had a full evaluation of his left ankle because of soreness from a previous injury. During this period, he had additional evaluations of some other ailments he’s been dealing with that haven’t caused him to miss any time, which disclosed a core muscle injury.
Another league source said surgery will be performed 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 feet, he doesn’t possess the size the Knicks were seeking as they scoured the market. He also has never been the offensive weapon that McBride has developed into through his career.
McBride is 18th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at 42% and was averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game. Alvarado, who has a player option for $4.5 million next season, was averaging 7.9 points and shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc for the Pelicans.
Tyler Kolek has served as the primary backup point guard but doesn’t possess the defensive prowess of Alvarado or McBride.
The Knicks also helped give themselves 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 only $140,000 below the second apron on the salary cap, which would have prevented them from signing 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 $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 2026-27 season a player option, and it was important to the Knicks’ plans to clear that potential deal off the books for next season. In addition to having very little room to work below the second apron, they currently have three rotation players who are potential free agents — Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Mo Diawara — whom they would need to fit into the payroll.
To facilitate the trade to Chicago, Yabusele worked with the Knicks to eliminate the player option for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
“I imagined our journey differently, but in an athlete’s life, things don’t always go as planned,” he wrote on X. “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.
