Getty RJ Barrett #9 and Cam Reddish #21 of the New York Knicks converse on the bench against the Atlanta Hawks.
Although he started for the New York Knicks earlier in the season, Cam Reddish has now found himself outside of the regular rotation and there appears to be no changes to that any time soon.
He finds himself joining Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier on the bench, and that has led to all three of them being included in trade talks. If Reddish has hopes of joining the Knicks on the floor, he might need to readjust those expectations according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
“I don’t envision a situation where Cam Reddish is going to be playing with this team moving forward,” Begley said.
When Reddish arrived last season he reunited with former Duke teammate RJ Barrett, and there were some fans who hoped the two could together recruit former college teammate Zion Williamson, but it looks like that dream can now be forgotten.
Will Reddish Be Traded?
The Knicks gave up Kevin Knox and a first-round pick last season to acquire Reddish, and if they’re looking for that type of haul in exchange for him then it will be difficult to move on from him.
Back in December, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the Los Angeles Lakers were looking at moves that see them land Reddish and Fournier.
“The Lakers are prioritizing shooting in their conversations with teams, and have discussed packages including salaries and a protected first-round pick for Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic, league sources, who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, tell The Athletic,” Charania reported. “They’ve also discussed concepts involving New York’s Cam Reddish and Evan Fournier, sources said.”
What’s working in Reddish’s favor is the fact he’s 23 years old and still on a rookie contract. He didn’t sign an extension with the Knicks, so he will be hitting restricted free agency this offseason. It’s highly unlikely the Knicks will match an offer that would see him suit up for New York again, so teams will have their chances at getting him.
That might end up being part of the reason he proves difficult to move since he doesn’t hold a lot of value at the moment.
Nearing 1-Year Anniversary
While the trade deadline is typically when most of the big moves happen in the NBA, the Knicks got things started last year on January 13 when they brought in Reddish.
Despite giving up a first-rounder and a former lottery selection for Reddish, he didn’t find much playing time with the Knicks before being injured last year. His situation didn’t change a whole lot for this season either, but the team did give him a longer look by putting him into the starting lineup.
If this ends up being it for him in a Knicks uniform, he’ll finish the year averaging 8.8 points per game in 20 games. A team might come forward with an offer at the trade deadline, perhaps a second-round pick pick, and snag Reddish for cheap. It’s not clear if the Knicks would accept that, but it would seem like getting anything back for him would be better than letting him walk for nothing in the summer.
There’s still about a month left before the trade deadline, so a lot can happen between now and then.