The New York Knicks' trade for Cam Reddish wasn't exactly surprising. The Atlanta Hawks have a glut of talented young players on the roster, and Reddish had yet to establish himself as a key building block with contract extension negotiations awaiting this summer. He'd been the subject of trade rumors and hypothetical deals for the better part of the last two seasons.
Addressing media on Friday, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk revealed that moving Reddish was a collaborative effort months in the making.
Travis Schlenk acknowledged that Cam Reddish came to the Hawks in the offseason and requested to find a different situation.
Schlenk said they’d accommodate if something made sense.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) January 14, 2022
Reddish's offseason request to continue his career elsewhere hadn't been previously reported.
The tenth pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish is averaging 11.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season, shooting a career-best 37.9% from three-point range. But the overall growth of his game has been limited during the last two-and-a-half seasons by injuries and an inability to garner consistent playing time when healthy.
Reddish's ugly 37.9% shooting on two-pointers this season is actually a personal best. Despite standing 6'8” with long arms, broadening shoulders and smooth athleticism, he's making a below-average 56.6% of his shots from the restricted area this season and rarely getting there, an indictment of his finishing ability and all-around aggression that dates back to his lone season at Duke.
Still, wings with Reddish's blend of physical tools and shot-making talent are few and far between. It was just a few months ago that he returned from injury midway through the Eastern Conference Finals, providing Atlanta a much-needed two-way jolt of energy and activity against the eventual-champion Milwaukee Bucks. Perhaps he taps into that ability in New York on a more regular basis given a concrete role in Tom Thibodeau's rotation.
For his part, Schlenk wouldn't be at all surprised if that proves the case.
Schlenk said Reddish could go on and be an All-Star and he wouldn’t be shocked at all by that.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) January 14, 2022
Unfortunately, Knicks fans will have to wait to get their first look at Reddish in blue and orange. Thibodeau said on Friday that Reddish would be out “for a while” while dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to miss Atlanta's loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
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