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Per recent rumblings, the New York Knicks are looking into trade options that would send fourth-year forward Cam Reddish outbound, and, with this, it is believed that there could be several suitors vying for his services.
According to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, since arriving in the Big Apple mid-way through last season there have been a number of opposing front offices who have reached out to Leon Rose and company inquiring about the 23-year-old’s availability, with three of the more noteworthy clubs reported as being the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Now, while there’s an argument that a talent such as Reddish could prove to be a luxury to have within several rotations across the association — including the New York Knicks, as has already been proven on numerous occasions this season –, Jake Rill of Bleacher Report believes that the Lakers would be the “best potential fit” amongst the aforementioned clubs.
“The Bucks (19-6) are cruising this season, and they’re not needing wing players as much now that Khris Middleton has returned from injury. As for the Heat (12-14), they could use a boost, but they should be in better shape as they get healthier as the season progresses,” Rill wrote.
“The Lakers (10-15) need some wing players who will fit in well around their star core of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook (assuming he doesn’t get traded at some point). That would be a role Reddish could serve in.”
Despite Rill’s belief and the intrigue that would naturally come with the former lottery pick landing with yet another storied NBA franchise, there is a strong case to be made that Reddish would not help complement Los Angeles’s current star’s skillsets and the team’s overall play style in the slightest.
Reddish Not What Lakers Need
The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves severely struggling for the second consecutive year with their “Big-3” of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, though, despite all this, considering just how talented each of these individuals are, it’s hard to simply write the team off from playoff contention.
Perhaps all the club may need to do is shake up its supporting cast to better complement its key contributors.
Though Reddish may be many things, as far as his skill set is concerned, he does not seem to be the type of player that will mesh with this Lakers roster.
As things currently stand, Darvin Ham’s squad shoots the second-fewest 3-point attempts in the entire league (30.2 per game) and converts at the third-worst rate at just 32.2%. Along with this, their offense is heavily invested in drive-and-kick sets, ranking fourth in pass percentage and eighth in passes per game on drive attempts.
Despite this frequency, however, Los Angeles ranks as the fifth-lowest scoring team on drive plays.
To better fill out the team’s talent pool, Rob Pelinka should be in the market for a steady catch-and-shoot, off-ball sniper who can wait out on the perimeter to knock down a kick-out dime from primary ball-handlers in James and Westbrook and, in turn, catch their club up with the modern NBA offensive game plan.
Reddish, who has shot a putrid 28.8% from distance on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers with the Knicks this season and holds a career shooting percentage of just 30.4% from distance, is most certainly not the type of talent the Lakers should be looking to acquire.
Someone as raw and in need of proper developmental coaching as the forward should not be a sought-after commodity by a high-pressure organization like the Lakers, and even Rill’s own Bleacher Report cohort, Greg Swartz, believes this to be the case, as he would go on to state in a December 12 piece that he’s best off going to a rebuilding team.
“Potential has long been the biggest draw to Reddish ever since his days at Duke, and we’ve seen the Paul George-esque flashes in his game. Injuries and an inconsistent role have ultimately doomed Reddish’s ability to reach said potential, however, and he’ll likely need regular minutes on a rebuilding team to reach his ceiling,” Swartz wrote.
“While it’s entirely believable that veteran squads like the Lakers, Heat and Bucks would want a young, two-way wing to add to their rotation, Reddish doesn’t project as a good fit for any of them. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic would be far better destinations.”
Though some may believe the Lakers should be looking to tear things down themselves considering their misfortunes over the last few years and their current sub-.500 record of just 11-15, when you roster three of the biggest names in the game and own one of the largest current payrolls, a rebuild is rarely an option.
Knicks Urged to Trade Randle
Along with the rumblings that the Knicks are looking to part ways with Cam Reddish, recently the concept of trading former All-Star, Julius Randle, was broached on a December 8 episode of SNY’s “The Putback,” as Knicks Fan TV’s CP “The Franchise” adamantly stated that the big man must be moved.
“Trade, trade, trade. If they can find a trade for Julius Randle they’ve got to peel it back and trade him,” he said. “The biggest issue with Julius Randle right now as being the number one guy for the Knicks is it emphasizes how mediocre this team is and how capped they are from a ceiling standpoint in terms of where they can truly compete in the Eastern Conference.
“They are number nine in the east, and that is where Julius Randle being the top dog for this team will put them.”
Through 27 games, Julius Randle has managed to put up impressive averages of 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 46.1% shooting from the field.
Despite his sound numbers, however, the Knicks are still found hovering around the .500 threshold (currently just slightly above at 14-13) and, with this, it is believed that in order for them to escape this version of NBA purgatory, offloading the remaining three-years, $82.8 million left on Julius Randle’s contract.
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