Less than a year after acquiring Cam Reddish for a first-round pick, the Knicks still don’t have a role for the young wing and are working with his representatives on a trade, a source told the Daily News.
Reddish was taken out of the rotation this week, recording his first healthy DNP of the season in a win over the Cavs. He started eight games this season and showed flashes of the blue-chip potential that made him the 10th pick in 2019 while averaging 8.4 points in 22 minutes.
The Knicks have refused to make Reddish available to the media for three consecutive days, including Wednesday morning before a game against his former team, the Hawks.
The Knicks acquired Reddish from the Hawks in January of last season, but he has been largely benched and is now firmly behind Quentin Grimes in the rotation.
“It’s not just about Cam, it’s about our team,” Thibodeau said. “What gives our team the best chance? And so I would say these are coaching decisions; deciding to go from a 10-man rotation to nine because you feel like it [gives] team the best chance to succeed. That’s why you do it. You always have to put the team first. So there are a lot of sacrifices that have to be made by a team. But we will always put what we think is best for the team first.”
According to Fred Katz of the Athletic, the Knicks are willing to attach Reddish to a trade to offload the contract of Evan Fournier, who is also out of the rotation.
The Knicks and Reddish did not agree to an extension before the October deadline, meaning the 23-year-old will become a free agent this summer.
“We wanted to look at him. And there’s still time,” Thibodeau said. “It’s all part of the league. You always look at all the possibilities of how you think you can improve your team. And you can’t be afraid to take risks. There were some really good things he did, so that’s how we approach things.”
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