After the Atlanta Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, there was a ton of clamor for them to keep their core intact for the foreseeable future. For their 2021-22 campaign, they still have majority of the team back, but young studs De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish are two key pieces that are due for an extension soon.
The Hawks have signed five of their main players until 2023-24 already, meaning they may need to go over the salary cap if they would keep both Hunter and Reddish as well. It will be difficult for the ownership to pay tax for numerous years because it will continually increase. Due to this, Reddish has been in the middle of trade rumors recently, but he has been terrific over the past few games as he has shown his massive upside as a Three-and-D wing for the Hawks.
Perfect scoring boost to their Big 3
Many of the plays of Atlanta revolves around the pick and roll between Trae Young with either John Collins or Clint Capela. While running their schemes, it is integral to have wings that are reliable shooters so defenders cannot just surround the paint and prevent Young from manufacturing offense. During the playoffs, Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic were impeccable in that role, but they have been struggling this season.
Reddish has also been inconsistent this year, but he has been hot recently before sustaining an ankle injury. With a plethora of his teammates out due to health and safety protocols, Reddish has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games, highlighted by two magnificent 30-point outings against the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls. He has proven to excel in a secondary role as a starter or even being one of the main options in the offense of Nate McMillan.
Tremendous defensive prowess
In the composition of the Hawks roster, there are wings that excel offensively or defensively but not both. For instance, Huerter portrayed some stellar defensive possessions in the playoffs last season, but he has since struggled to keep his opponents in front of him. For Reddish, he has possessed his ability to flourish on both ends of the court.
Reddish has had the difficulty of avoiding numerous injuries, which could be the main reason on why players like Huerter and Bogdanovic would receive more minutes when they are complete. With his length and attention to detail, Reddish has the skill level to keep up with the best wings in the league. Additionally, he brings the openness to learn from his veterans and coaches, so it does not seem like the right move to trade a player in a rare breed like Reddish.
Could be the catalyst of the second unit
As Reddish is on the midst of this sensational stretch, he is part of the starting lineup of McMillan. This is not his usual role because Bogdanovic and Hunter were the starters at the beginning of the season. When both these individuals return, Reddish will move back to his original role, but he has proven to McMillan that he could be inserted for more minutes as the microwave off the bench.
With the multitude of moves on his arsenal, he could be relied upon as the orchestrator of the offense. His three-point shooting has heavily improved from 26.2% last season to 38.6% this season. It has been a critical weapon in his repertoire because opponents are forced to challenge him from the outside which opens up the more opportunities for Capela and Collins on the paint.
As Reddish continues to evolve as a more well-rounded forward, Atlanta must just keep him for the long term especially with Danilo Gallinari's contract expiring next season. For context, Gallinari is currently the second-highest paid player on the team, so signing Reddish to a contract similar to Talen Horton-Tucker's for the Los Angeles Lakers would be the best scenario for Atlanta. Reddish could receive a larger deal on another franchise, but the Hawks will have that continuous winning culture for the next years.
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