The New York Knicks seem to have made all the right moves in the past few years, such as acquiring OG Anunoby during last season and bringing in Mikal Bridges this summer. But one trade from two seasons ago stands out above those, and is considered to be the move that accelerated the road to contention.
The Josh Hart trade was a huge blessing for the Knicks
During the 2022-23 season, the Knicks pulled off a trade where they acquired Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers for Cam Reddish, two non-rotation players, and a first-round pick (which later became Kris Murray, the brother of Sacramento Kings’ star Keegan).
At the time, the trade was frowned upon by fans who were upset to see Reddish go, as there was a lot of upside to him given his athleticism and youth. However, the trade has favored the Knicks tremendously since then, as the move transformed them from being a fringe playoff team to now being a legitimate top team in the Eastern Conference.
As a member of the Knicks, Hart is averaging 9.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists with a total plus-minus of +537 in 106 games. His tenacity and aggressive play style have translated into winning basketball for New York, and have given them a jack-of-all-trades type of player at their disposal in the bench unit.
His impact was shown at its fullest during this past year’s playoffs when Hart stepped into a starting role in place of an injured Julius Randle and thrived. In the playoffs this year, Hart averaged 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while playing above 40 minutes in nine of 13 games.
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Cam Reddish’s career has spiraled since the trade two seasons ago
As for the other end of the trade from two seasons ago, Reddish’s career has taken a nosedive. He spent this past season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played 48 games and averaged his lowest points per game total in his career at just 5.4 per night, while also shooting an abysmal 39% from the field.
At just 25 years old, Reddish still has time to improve as a player, but his career trending in the direction that the Knicks sensed it would go, hence why they dealt him while he still had value. In the end, the trade did many wonders for the Knicks, and now Hart is set to be a massive contributor to a New York squad that is fully prepared to make a run at a title.
