To say that Cam Reddish hasn't had the best time with the New York Knicks is an understatement. Requesting a trade from the Atlanta Hawks due to a lack of touches and playing time, Reddish landed in an even worse situation with the Knicks after he was acquired for a 2022 first-round pick. He was unable to carve a role in Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation, and it didn't take long for him to land in the hard-nosed coach's doghouse.
It doesn't appear as if Reddish's fortunes in New York are about to turn around soon, especially with Thibodeau and the Knicks bullish on the development of 2021 draft pick Quentin Grimes as a 3&D option on the wing. This makes the Reddish addition so confusing, as according to Knicks beat writer Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the only way the 6'8 forward gets any playing time is through injury to those ahead of him in the depth chart.
“The only scenario where I see him getting playing time is if there’s an injury. If you look at the rotation, he doesn’t fit in it,” Bondy told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto during a podcast. “It begs the question, why did they give up a first-round pick to trade for him in the first place? He never had a role on this team.”
Rumors swirled in early September that Cam Reddish had already asked out from the Knicks, but he quickly shut that down with a response on Instagram during his birthday. Still, Reddish's potential is tantalizing, and the Los Angeles Lakers remain interested in the 23-year old, but the Knicks will not be giving away the swingman for pennies despite a dip in his trade value.
“The Knicks aren’t going to give him up for nothing. They just gave up a pick for him. His value has since gone down. If they trade him now, they won’t get that first-round pick back,” Bondy added.
It appears as if Cam Reddish has no choice but to play out the final year of his rookie contract in New York, stuck racking up high-fives on the Madison Square Garden bench. Reddish will have to impress the Knicks coaching staff if he wants to realize his potential, and with training camp fast approaching, he will have that opportunity sooner than later.