The New York Knicks acquired Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in exchange for a protected first round pick and Kevin Knox. Even better for the Knicks, the first round pick that they gave up was a pick that they had acquired via a trade with Charlotte. The Knicks still have their own first round pick in the upcoming draft. Between their own pick and the Charlotte pick, their own pick is currently slated to be the higher of the two.

Draft grades

New York Knicks

The Knicks made out like bandits in this deal. They attained a legitimate NBA player who has experienced at least some level of success during regular season NBA play. Reddish even has some playoff experience, having been a part of the Hawks roster and receiving regular playing time during Atlanta’s improbable run in the eastern conference playoffs last season. Reddish will provide the Knicks with an immediate upgrade to their three-point shooting. He also represents the potential to grow into a legit three level scorer. Plus, he gets to play alongside his college teammate, RJ Barrett again.

The Knicks don’t need more draft picks. They gave up a failed lottery ticket in exchange for a new lottery ticket with potential in Reddish. Even if it ultimately doesn’t work out, the Knicks replaced somebody who didn’t have a spot on their roster with somebody who can contribute now, and has the potential to bring a lot more to the table. They acquired this player by getting rid of a contract that they didn’t want. Knox was making over $5 million this season.

Grade: A-

Atlanta Hawks

Meanwhile, Atlanta acquired small forward Kevin Knox. Knox was highly touted coming out of Kentucky as the #9 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. But has not yet demonstrated that talent for any sort of consistent stretch in the NBA. The first round pick may prove to be valuable, perhaps for trade purposes. That being said, draft picks are unknown commodities until the pick is made and even then, except for in rare cases, the value of that pick will still not be known for several seasons.

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Reddish was looking for a team that could afford to offer him more playing time. He also is looking for a contract extension as well. Neither were likely to happen in Atlanta, so moving Reddish wasn’t necessarily a bad move. That being said, the Hawks likely could have found a better deal elsewhere if they had been more patient. Getting rid of Reddish wasn’t necessarily the wrong move, and in fact that likely benefited both Reddish and the Hawks. However, a better deal probably could have been found closer to the trade deadline.

In reality, the only fair way to grade the Hawks for this move has to be to mark it as incomplete until the draft pick is made or another trade is completed using Knox and/or the pick. At that point, a more accurate grade can be given.
If I had to give a grade right now, though, I would grade it a C+. Atlanta didn’t hurt themselves by moving a player when a fresh start would be best for both sides and the Hawks didn’t really have room for Reddish, either on the court or under the salary cap in future seasons. The pieces they got back in this transaction, however, are slightly underwhelming.

Grade: C+/Incomplete