The New York Knicks have recently acquired wing player Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks. Cam Reddish is well known for being a solid 3 and D player (37.9% from beyond the arc in 2021-22) who also has shot creation potential.
Given the cost of acquiring Cam Reddish, most people would agree that this was a fantastic trade for the New York Knicks. Though it was a good trade, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons took an opportunity to roast the Knicks when commenting on the transaction. Simmons claimed that the Knicks “fleeced” the Hawks, but added that the last time “the Knicks fleeced someone” he was “in college”.
Wow the Knicks just fleeced someone! The last time the Knicks fleeced someone, I think I was in college. https://t.co/NiA9LBLvZ8
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 13, 2022
The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and a 2025 second-round pick (via Brooklyn) to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox and a protected 2022 first-round pick (via Charlotte), per @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/g2tvCtpHjK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 13, 2022
There is no question that this trade was good value for the New York Knicks. Getting a promising young wing such as Cam Reddish in exchange for a protected first-round pick and Kevin Knox is certainly a good deal. Cam Reddish could potentially thrive on the New York Knicks with the increased opportunity, something that he wouldn’t have gotten on the Atlanta Hawks with De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kevin Huerter ahead of him in the rotation.
Even though this was clearly a solid deal, the New York Knicks have had a history of making poor decisions regarding roster moves in the past, which is what Bill Simmons is referring to. However, that doesn’t mean that the franchise can’t improve in that department, and perhaps this is the first sign of that happening. While the offseason acquisitions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier haven’t helped the team improve as expected, the franchise has clearly trended in the right direction. Obviously, a playoff appearance last season was a good start to the Knicks improving as a unit.
We’ll see how well the New York Knicks will do after acquiring Cam Reddish. They currently have a solid young core that Reddish will join, and while they aren’t a playoff team currently, perhaps we’ll see them make the play-in tournament and make the playoffs that way.
