Reacting To The Reddish Trade

The Deal: The Knicks are sending Kevin Knox II and a 2022 first-round draft pick to the Hawks in exchange for Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and a 2025 second-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Before discussing what Reddish brings to the table, let's quickly discuss what the Knicks are giving up. 

Knox is a good kid with a heart of gold (he donated $2 million to his former high school this week), but, as I wrote earlier this week, despite being drafted ninth overall (ahead of Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Miles Bridges among others), there's a decent chance he won't be in the league next season. 

The first-round pick the Knicks are parting with is the selection they snagged from Charlotte for the 19th selection (Kai Jones) in the 2020 draft. The pick is heavily protected; here are the particulars. It is protected 1-18 in 2022, 1-16 in 2023, 1-14 in 2024, 1-14 in 2025, if Charlotte has not conveyed by 2025, it becomes a pair of 2nd round picks (2026 and 2027).

In layman's terms, this means that if Charlotte's pick lands anywhere between 1 and 18 this season (i.e., the Hornets finish the 2021-22 season with one of the 18 worst records in the league), Charlotte gets to keep the pick. If the selection lands anywhere between 19 and 30, the pick will be conveyed to Atlanta.

Solomon Hill tore his hamstring in early December and is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. 

The second-round pick the Knicks receive in the deal is via the Brooklyn Nets. 

With those details out of the way, let's focus on the newest Knick.

photo via Rob Kinnan/ USA TOday Sports

The Pros:

Cam Reddish is an athletic freak, combining remarkable size (6'8" with a mammoth 7-1 wingspan) with uncommon agility and leaping ability. In addition, Reddish has a solid feel for the game and fantastic form on his jumper. 

Reddish was a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school (ranked behind only RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson, according to ESPN). Cam showed off his fluid stroke during his lone season at Duke (playing alongside Barrett and Zion), knocking down a team-high 2.5 three-pointers per game.

Selected by Atlanta with the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish has failed to live up to expectations overall but has shown flashes of immense and tantalizing upside. For instance, his performance in the 2021 playoffs made the entire league sit up and take notice. After undergoing a non-surgical procedure on his Achilles in March, Reddish was sidelined for four months before finally being medically cleared to return to action in the postseason. 

With the Hawks shorthanded due to injuries, Reddish's first contest back was Game 2 of the tightly-contested Eastern Conference Finals vs. Milwaukee, in which he chipped in 11 points off the bench. After sitting out Game 3, Reddish appeared in the final three games of the ECF and averaged an impressive 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.7 made three-pointers while shooting a scorching 57.7% from the floor and 72.7% from downtown.

As a result, Hawks fans were excited headed into 2021-22, hoping to see a Reddish blossom into a quality 3-and-D wing capable of excelling defensively and exhibiting improved efficiency on the offensive end. Cam started the season doing just that, as he averaged 16.0 points (shooting 45% from the field and over 44% from behind the arc) and 2.3 treys in 25 minutes over ATL's first seven games.

However, in November, Reddish slipped into a shooting slump, and his playing time was reduced significantly. Part of this was because the Hawks have exceptional depth at shooting guard and both forward spots. 

When he received an uptick in minutes in late December due to a Covid outbreak on the team, Reddish made the most of the opportunity, authoring two 30-point performances a few days apart and averaging 23.8 PPG and 3.8 triples over a four-game span. 

On the season, Reddish's accuracy has improved, especially from long range, where he is shooting a career-high 37.9%. He has also knocked down 72 of his 80 of his free throws (90%) this season. A solid, consistent stroke at the charity stripe is often an encouraging sign relative to future offensive success. 

Here's an encouraging stat: 60 players have attempted more than 150 three-pointers and more than 75 free throws this season. Only two are shooting at least 90% from the FT line and 37.5% from downtown. Those two players are Steph Curry and Cam Reddish. 

It's also important to remember that Reddish is still just 22 years old. He's younger than three players selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. The Knicks have time on their side. 

Ultimately, Atlanta's pending cap issues were a significant factor in their decisions to part ways with their Reddish, who will be extension-eligible. Last summer, the Hawks inked Trae Young to a five-year extension worth $207 million, signed John Collins to a five-year contract worth $125 million, and locked up Kevin Huerter with a four-year, $65 million pact. In 2020, they signed Bogdan Bogdanovic to a four-year deal with $72 million. This offseason, star forward De'Andre Hunter becomes eligible to ink an extension, as does Onyeka Okongwu the year after that. Atlanta is not a franchise comfortable sitting on the wrong side of the luxury tax line. 

Numerous outlets have also reported that Reddish was looking for an increased role on a new team.

If the Hawks had a less-clogged rotation and more cap flexibility, they would have very likely been more patient with Reddish. 

The Cons:

It's uncommon for a franchise to trade away a talented 22-year-old just three years after drafting him with a top-ten pick. So, why did they make this move?

The reality is, the Hawks haven't had much success with Reddish on the floor. In 2020-21, Atlanta allowed 114.9 points per 100 possessions with Cam on the court, which was the worst individual defRtg among all rotation regulars.