Cam Reddish was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the New York Knicks last Thursday, January 13.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported the full details of the trade as follows:
- Atlanta Receives: Kevin Knox II, 2022 first-round pick (via Charlotte Hornets, Top 18 Protected)
- New York Receives: Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill, 2025 second-round pick (via Brooklyn Nets)
Reddish requested a trade over the offseason after feeling like his skills were not being properly utilized in Atlanta.
After dealing Cam Reddish to the Knicks, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk revealed that Reddish requested a trade over the offseason.
That’s a tricky situation to navigate, but Atlanta’s front office deserves a ton of credit for how they handled it: https://t.co/JiihJRzJ6S
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 16, 2022
The 22-year-old wing out of Duke has flashed plenty of promise with the Hawks.
Reddish has great size (6-foot-8), athleticism, and shooting ability.
And after a slow start to his career, the pure stroke he displayed in high school is starting to shine through (38 percent on 4.5 threes-per-game this season).
Despite the number of gambles he takes, Reddish’s perimeter defense is solid.
So the question is, why did the Hawks move on from a player who has the archetype so highly coveted in the modern NBA?
Hawks Couldn’t Afford Reddish’s Extension
The biggest reason Atlanta moved on from Reddish is they didn’t want to foot the bill for his upcoming rookie extension.
His four-year rookie contract is set to expire after the 2022-23 season, making him extension eligible this upcoming offseason.
Trae Young and John Collins were both locked up in August 2021 to five-year deals.
Young on a rookie-scale max extension and Collins on a five-year, $125 million deal using his Bird rights.
They also have $50 million committed to Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kevin Huerter next season.
And they have a rookie-scale extension looming for De’Andre Hunter this offseason, a player the Hawks value more highly than Reddish.
Great question. The Trae Young and Kevin Huerter contract extensions kick in this offseason. The Hawks will be at $150m in total cap and need to extend DeAndre Hunter who they rightfully prefer as a player
They need to turn an asset that takes up cap space into assets that don't https://t.co/IAcAcZzszo
— Chip Jones (@ChipJNBA) November 2, 2021
With the 2022-23 projected salary cap at $119 million, the Hawks already have $113 million on the books even after removing Danilo Gallinari‘s non-guaranteed money and not factoring in Hunter’s extension.
Projections have a Reddish extension in the $15-$20 million range annually and a Hunter extension in the ~$25 million range annually.
If the Hawks tried to bring back both, they would have been well into the luxury tax.
Since Atlanta had already decided they did not want to pay Reddish’s next extension, a trade was the best move forward for both parties.
Adding Draft Pick For A Future Trade?
Another reason the Hawks may have moved on from Reddish so soon is they may be players in a bigger trade down the line.
Atlanta’s name has crept into recent rumors swirling around the Ben Simmons trade saga.
NBA trade season has arrived: https://t.co/STrq9xQydO
My latest This Week In Basketball column covers:
🏀 The Sixers holding onto hope they can convince Ben Simmons to play for them this season.
🏀 The Hawks as a Simmons suitor to watch.
🏀 More around-the-league chatter.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 9, 2022
By trading away Reddish, the Hawks picked up an extra first-round pick via the Hornets.
First-round picks are immensely valuable in trade discussions.
Atlanta already owned all of their own picks through 2028, but now picks up an extra first in 2022.
If the Hawks do involve themselves in trade discussions for a star, they have the ammo to do so.
Promising young players and first-round picks will make them players in any major deals.
NEXT: 3 Reasons The Hawks Are Struggling
Hey Brian – Nice article. It’s been a long time since baseball / basketball. As a Knicks fan, I like the deal but have my concerns. His shooting metrics, though improved, aren’t ideal for a wing. He has had injury issues, and wants to get PAID even though he hasn’t done much other than show some improvement this year. If he was that good, the Hawks would have made it a point to give him PT above his 23 min per game. I hope I’m wrong, but I worry about potential “diva” issues. That being said, it is worth a shot he may turn into something with Coach Thibs. All the Best to you and the family.
All good points Rich. The playing time factor sticks with Reddish in New York, which may point to further trades to open up minutes for him in the wing rotation. Knicks are reportedly high on him and hope he can blossom in his role with them. At the very least, he’s a temporary upgrade over Knox, who seemingly needed a change of scenery. If Reddish shines second half of the year, Knicks may get a steal. If he doesn’t, they let him hit the open market.