NBA Exec Sends Strong Message on Knicks’ Cam Reddish

There are a lot of spots the New York Knicks need to address this offseason, and one of the most intriguing ones is what to do with Cam Reddish.

Reddish is the newest member of the Knicks, at least until June 23’s NBA Draft, but he hasn’t found himself on the all that much. Since coming over in a trade from the Hawks, he’s only appeared in 15 games on sporadic minutes. His season eventually came to an end due to a shoulder injury, and he left many question marks about his future.

Coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t a fan of bringing on Reddish in the first place, so that could have played a role in why he wasn’t getting consistent minutes in the first place.

For a player fighting for his NBA life, not getting minutes could be a death blow. An anonymous Eastern Conference executive speaking to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney put it bluntly for Reddish.

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Reddish Has a Long Way to Go

Reddish was the 10th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, but his career has been very up and down since being selected.

Picked ahead of him include names such as Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and Darius Garland. Those three players, when healthy, are All-Stars in the NBA and teammate RJ Barrett, selected third overall, could very well be on his way there.

The Eastern Conference executive says Reddish isn’t there yet.

“He wants $20 million a year in an extension and he just is not going to get it, there is no way they can give that to him,” said the exec. “So, it is a tough position for them and it’s why the Hawks wanted to be rid of him in the first place. He has not been healthy and when he has been healthy he has not been good. They’re going to have to go to restricted free agency next year but he is going to have to prove himself between now and then.”

Some Knicks fans believe having Barrett and Reddish on the team could potentially be used to acquire Williamson down the line due to the three of them being teammates at Duke. However, it’s not even a foregone conclusion that Reddish will be in New York by the time that becomes a possibility.

If Reddish doesn’t find out how to crack the rotation, he could be a good candidate for a trade, but even that could prove to be difficult.

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Could Reddish Be Moved?

At just 22 years old, there’s plenty of time for Reddish to get things figured out, but that might not happen in New York.

The Eastern Conference exec doesn’t think it’ll be easy for New York to move him, so the best scenario might simply be playing him and seeing what happens.

“He has very little trade value on his own, maybe none at all after the (shoulder) injury, but they could include him if they need to make the numbers work in a bigger deal,” said the exec. “But the plan is, get him out there, let him show he can play—and be a winning player—and then make the call on signing him next summer or not. If he plays well, they could revisit trading him in February.”

With so many players on the team fighting for more minutes, a struggling Reddish could be the odd man out. If he’s not moved in the offseason, it’ll be interesting to see how the Knicks utilize him once the year begins.

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