[4] McDyess's explosive leaping and power dunking ability allowed him to average 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over his first six seasons.

According to Sports Illustrated, Jason Kidd, Rex Chapman, and George McCloud flew through a blizzard to Denver in hopes of convincing him to re-sign with the Suns.

That season, on February 28, 1999, McDyess scored a career-high 46 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a 116–112 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies.

An MRI showed a partial tear in his patellar tendon and a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament.

But on October 8, 2002, with 1 minute 55 seconds left in an exhibition game against Phoenix, McDyess reinjured the knee while dunking a rebound.

In the 2003–04 season, McDyess was traded to the Phoenix Suns after just 18 games with the Knicks, alongside Maciej Lampe, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, the draft rights of Miloš Vujanić and draft considerations in exchange for Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybański.

On November 3, 2008, McDyess was traded to the Denver Nuggets, along with Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb, for Allen Iverson.

[13] That postseason, on April 26, 2009, McDyess scored a playoff career-high 26 points, alongside grabbing 10 rebounds, in a deciding Game 4 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[14] The San Antonio Spurs reached an agreement with McDyess on July 8, 2009, to a three-year deal worth the mid-level exception (up to $15 million).