In a trade that absolutely nobody saw coming, the Atlanta Hawks are sending Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks in exchange for Kevin Knox. Also included in the deal is a protected 1st round pick via Charlotte heading to the Hawks, while the Knicks acquire Solomon Hill and a 2025 2nd round pick from Brooklyn.
There had been rampant speculation that Reddish could be moved ahead of the NBA trade deadline in recent weeks, however most industry insiders expected the return to be substantially higher for Atlanta. The 22 year old small forward is currently averaging 11.9pts/2.5reb/1.1ast per game in roughly 23 minutes of playing time each night.
A former 10th overall selection in the 2019 NBA draft, Reddish will now be reunited with former Duke teammate RJ Barrett in the Big Apple.
The Knicks meanwhile are essentially giving up nothing in return for Reddish as Knox hasn’t factored into the Knicks rotation much this season. Averaging 3.6pts/0.2ast/1.7reb per game, Knox has struggled to find meaningful minutes in Tom Thibodeau’s system.
Originally taken 9th overall in 2018, the former Kentucky Wildcat has seen his points, rebounds, assists, and minutes drop every year since his rookie campaign. Only 22 years old, the Hawks are obviously banking on a change in scenery revitalizing Knox’s NBA career.
Reddish now lands in an ideal situation where he can likely carve out a larger role and parlay that into a sizable contract extension in the offseason. The former Blue Devil is rookie extension eligible this offseason and if signed to a max deal, would command $181M over 5 years.
In Atlanta, Reddish was averaging a career low minutes per game figure, however he did post 18.4pts/2.6reb/2.1ast per game splits when he started. All while providing elite perimeter defense which will be a welcome addition to coach Thibodeau’s team.
Ironically the Knicks are next in action against the Hawks on Saturday January 15th in what’s likely to be the debut for Reddish and Knox on their new teams.