Many would argue that the first step in defending your title is keeping everyone who helped get you there.

Outside of big men Ariel Hukporti and Mitchell Robinson, the New York Knicks have done just that this summer.

But that doesn’t mean that every player is satisfied from a contractual standpoint. Former second-round pick Miles McBride is entering next season with only one year remaining on his deal.

According to Shams Charania, no Knicks player will receive an extension before the season starts on Oct. 20.

Every day that passes with McBride on the roster, without a deal in place, is a mutual wager between player and team that this season needs to be his best.

Let’s break it down.

A hot start for McBride

Injury played a major part in what was largely an inconsistent showing for McBride last season. He was available for only half the season, making 41 appearances.

Twenty-nine of those came in the first half of the season, before a nagging ankle injury pushed him in and out of the lineup for just 12 of the team’s final 41 games.

When he was on the floor throughout the regular season, he was every bit the player fans had grown to love over five years in New York: a tenacious defender at the point of attack, and a three-point threat that never went unattended by opponents.

He averaged a career-high in points, three-point attempts (6.6), and three-point percentage (.413), thanks to Mike Brown’s revolutionized off-ball offense.

New York was +10.6 points per 100 possessions better with McBride on the floor, and an otherworldly +15.1 when he shared the floor with Jalen Brunson.

Those numbers rank in the 91st and 98th percentiles, respectively, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Any discourse over his potential as a starter in the Knicks’ new-look offense evaporated as injury-related absences began piling up.

And then came the playoffs.

McBride’s title contributions underwhelm

McBride was arguably the first blue-and-orange baller to instill visions of a title last season, when he returned from a 28-game absence in time for the postseason.

He found his sea legs quickly, making 11-of-26 threes in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks.

But even more inspiring was his performance in the second round against the Philadelphia 76ers. He capped off the series with a 25-point night to ensure a New York sweep on the road.

Perhaps it was fatigue, or maybe it was his ankle, but McBride was nowhere to be found in the final two playoff rounds.

He averaged 3.6 points on 26% shooting from three against the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs. And his playing time decreased coincidentally.

After being given an extended leash in the Conference Finals, McBride was nearly pulled from the rotation in the NBA Finals.

He played just 8:39, 7:12, and 12:53 in the final three games against the Spurs after averaging 19 minutes across the 16 prior.

If you’re asking the five-year veteran, McBride will tell you he was never fully healthy last postseason.

In a post-practice presser on Sept. 30, he told reporters the extent of dealing with a core injury:

“Trying to open a door, trying to reach for a remote,” McBride said. “Everything you do is in that core section, that groin section. Trying to keep up with those young guys by the Finals, it was tough.”

Reservations about his health and postseason performance have no doubt been a sticking point in extension negotiations with the Knicks. Not to mention the ongoing extension drama with Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns.

McBride finished his season as a champion, but on a three-game scoreless streak, and a near-bystander in Brown’s rotation. Questions about his future are warranted.

Parades, parties, and post-championship glow are fading, New York Knicks fans.

The defense of their 2026 title looms large with the start of next season just weeks away. And much like the difference between postseason and regular season ball, defending a title is just as difficult, if not more difficult, than winning one.

What will it take for the Knicks to reach the upper echelons of NBA mythology, securing the league’s first back-to-back champs since Golden State in 2018?

A bounce-back year from McBride would increase their chances.