Getty The former Atlanta Hawks lottery pick Cam Reddish gets a reality check.
The New York Knicks gave up on former lottery pick Kevin Knox last season by trading him for Cam Reddish.
Reddish, a former lottery pick himself, was RJ Barrett’s teammate at Duke, and perhaps they believed a change of scenery like that was what it took for him to realize his potential.
That never ended up being the case, and to make matters even worse, the Knicks gave up a first-round pick in the process. Reddish’s tenure with the Knicks have had its share of ups and downs, but it’s mostly consisted of downs.
The New York Post’s Marc Berman reported Reddish requested a trade from the Knicks, but the forward shut that down immediately. Whatever the case is, it doesn’t seem like Reddish has much of a future with the Knicks unless he finds a way to crack the rotation and make the most of it.
An Eastern Conference general manager speaking to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney doesn’t make it sound like a trade for Reddish is likely because the Knicks will want a first rounder back in exchange, something that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Reddish’s Future Looks Bleak
With no clear role on the Knicks and suitors not begging to have him on their team, Reddish looks to be in a tough spot as he finds out how to salvage his NBA career. The general manager gives a very blunt outlook on how that’ll play out.
“They gave up a first-round pick to get him to New York so there is no way they’re going to send him out for anything less than a first-round pick in return,” said the GM. “And even if you like his potential, you’re talking about a guy whose bad attitude got him traded out of one place (Atlanta) and is now saying he wants to be traded out of the new place (New York). I am not going to give up a first-rounder for an attitude like that. He played, what, 15 minutes a game for the Knicks? And he wants a trade? Forget it.”
If he rides the bench as a Knick and becomes a free agent next season, there will more than likely be somebody who takes a flyer on him, but he won’t have many more chances outside of that.
Reddish Fighting For NBA Life
The general manager isn’t the only one who believes the writing is on the wall for the forward. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote that he thinks Reddish will be fighting for his career in the next season.
“While every Knick will have something at stake during the upcoming season, Cam Reddish might be playing for his NBA career,” he said.
It’s a fair assessment as Reddish hasn’t shown much to prove he can be a rotational player in the league, even on a team that failed to make the playoffs last season like the Knicks. Lottery picks come and go all the time in the NBA, and Reddish will have to prove he’s not going to be one of them.