Proposed Trade Would Land Knicks Former Celtics Lottery Pick

Getty Romeo Langford #9 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second half of the preseason game at TD Garden.

The New York Knicks may have missed out on Donovan Mitchell, but that doesn’t mean they have to be done wheeling and dealing.

A player who has long been linked to a trade is Cam Reddish, which is surprising considering he came over just before the trade deadline a season ago. Ever since arriving in New York, Reddish has found it difficult to get minutes, so perhaps a fresh start is what he needs.

There are a variety of teams out there who are willing to roll the dice on the former lottery pick considering he’s just 22 years old. The Los Angeles Lakers have shown an interest, but perhaps there’s a team that’s currently undergoing a rebuild of sorts who can afford to bring him on to give him heavy minutes.

That team would be the San Antonio Spurs, and Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth floats a trade that would see the Knicks swap Reddish in exchange for former Boston Celtics lottery pick Romeo Langford.

Lottery Picks Switching Sides

It’s tough to envision a world where Reddish gets the Knicks a solid return considering he didn’t show much to command that last season. Instead, he’d likely just be a player a team takes a chance on and hopes he develops into something better.

Afseth suggests the simple swap of Langford for Reddish as a way for both to get a change of scenery. For Reddish, he’d have a chance at more minutes considering how wing-heavy the Knicks are, and Langford just has a chance to start fresh again.

The shooting guard would certainly be a project for New York, and that’s something Afseth points out.

“Langford has yet to prove any actual tangible strengths at the NBA level so far in his career,” he wrote. “Despite being selected No. 14 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, he has only appeared in 98 games in his career. The results have been underwhelming when he’s seen the floor.”

Some players take longer to develop, but at the same time they can fizzle out of the league by the end of their rookie contract. Langford hasn’t been able to get a real role with Boston or San Antonio so far, but that’s what makes him similar to Reddish. It’d be difficult for Langford to find minutes as well, so maybe this wouldn’t make the most sense for the Knicks unless they simply want to offload Reddish.

As for Reddish, this would be his best chance yet to prove he can do something.

“With Reddish being limited in his role early in his NBA career, he would have the greatest chance to showcase his abilities he’s faced,” Afseth wrote. “There isn’t a clear-cut, proven shot creator in the Spurs’ offense, so Reddish showing dynamic traits would be needed.”

Is Reddish Being Shopped?

Interestingly enough, on Reddish’s birthday of all days, the New York Post reported he requested a trade from the Knicks.

Shortly after that report came out, the forward denied the rumor, and that’s the last we’ve heard of it. It’s clear that he’d be getting a bigger role on a team other than the Knicks, and that includes even the Lakers, so him requesting a trade would certainly make sense.

As of right now, it’s anybody’s guess as to what will happen with Reddish before the season begins.

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