The Knicks have one incredibly valuable trade piece wasting away on the bench

cam reddish, hawks, knicks

The New York Knicks might have dismantled the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, but they are far from being considered an above-average team. With power forward Julius Randle regressing significantly this season and a lack of leadership on the court without point guard Derrick Rose, a trade deadline move is becoming more realistic by the day.

However, offering up big contract players like Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker isn’t going to move the needle in acquiring an impact player who can help the Knicks push for a postseason spot.

Just because management may want to unload several big contracts doesn’t mean they don’t have valuable assets they can float in prospective deals.

One player who should undoubtedly be considered a trade piece is newly acquired small forward Cam Reddish. Reddish has been left out of the rotation since making his way over from Atlanta, and head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t seem to have any interest in including him unless the Knicks are winning or losing by a significant margin.

“Everything was discussed,” said Thibodeau. “We like who he is. We like the talent, and right now — it’s a long season. We knew we traded someone who wasn’t in the rotation, so you can’t keep adding to it without taking someone out. We can have injuries, so just have to be patient and work our way through it.”

In three appearances with the Knicks, Reddish has played a high of just 10 minutes, scoring six points against the Miami Heat in a blowout loss. In the victory over Sacramento, he posted four points and a steal in just five minutes, showcasing his scoring proficiency in a small sample size.

Depending on if the front office wants to make a legitimate run at a playoff spot this year, including Reddish in a potential trade makes sense. If Thibodeau isn’t going to use him properly, there’s no point letting him waste away on the bench when he could be serving as a valuable piece elsewhere.