The New York Knicks were heavily linked to the Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish earlier this week. The two sides finalized the deal to send Reddish to New York on Thursday afternoon, but his spot on the team is rather interesting. Reddish is known as a small forward, a position the Knicks don’t normally utilize in their rotation.
They primarily rely on power forwards Julius Randle and Obi Toppin, with Evan Fournier capable of playing the small. Small forwards are typically shorter and quicker than a power option, which could play into Tom Thibodeau’s strategy of driving to the basket and kicking out shots of the corners.
The small forward position is arguably the most versatile of all five main positions, which could give Reddish an advantage in specific lineup combinations. However, it is entirely possible the next view Cam as a trade piece for a bigger name like Myles Turner or Jerami Grant. They preferably don’t want to part ways with Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, or even Miles McBride, so adding Reddish to the mix gives them a bit of ammo other than draft capital.
With two years left on his rookie deal at a cost-efficient price point, Reddish is an extremely valuable piece other teams could be intrigued by. This season, Reddish has experienced a tremendous uptick in three-point efficiency, hitting 38% this year compared to 26% during the 2020–21 season.
With several weeks left until the trade deadline, the Knicks have plenty of time to continue curating potential deals and offering players with value. They managed to clear a roster spot by including Kevin Knox in the trade to Atlanta, acquiring Solomon Hill in addition to Reddish, the former Duke star.
Hill also features at the forward position but hasn’t made an impact this year over 13 games. He’s averaging less than a point per game in just 10.7 minutes. Given the Knicks’ plethora of forward talent, it’s safe to assume they will consider other deals.
With so many players on their rookie contracts and most of them enjoying positive development, their value is at an all-time high, so expect president Leon Rose to be on the hunt for a more established name that can give the Knicks a tremendous boost in the starting five.
One potential deal that could make sense for the Knicks is pairing Reddish with Mitchell Robinson for Myles Turner of Indiana. That could be an enticing grab for the Pacers who are rebuilding and trying to get Turner’s money off the books. Turner has also voiced his displeasure being a role player when he seeks a more prominent function on a given team.