The New York Knicks acquired forwards Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill along with a 2025 second-round draft pick from the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in exchange for Kevin Knox and a protected 2022 first-round pick, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Reddish is the headlining player in the deal, who gets his wish of coming to a team that provides an opportunity to supply him more playing time.
The 22-year-old Duke product was taken 10th overall in the 2019 draft, just seven selections after his teammate and Knicks swingman, RJ Barrett. He’s averaged 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during his first three NBA seasons, but his playing time has dipped significantly in 2021-22, playing an average of 23.4 minutes per night compared to 28.8 last season.
A small forward, Reddish could potentially provide a boost to the Knicks’ three-point shooting ranks considering he’s putting up a career-best 38% this season. While New York has the ninth-best three-point shooting percentage in the league this season, their field-goal percentage is fourth-worst.
Reddish’s ability to develop alongside Barrett into a playmaker — and his potential to do so is still high — will also provide a versatile asset that could guard three-different positions with his 6-foot-8 frame.
He’s also a younger option to play at the 3, which would allow Barrett to carve out his NBA niche at the shooting guard role to one day help facilitate the Knicks offense as its fixture.
Hill, who is now with his sixth team in nine seasons, is out for the season with a hamstring tendon tear.
The Hawks were reportedly looking for a young asset to go with a mid-first-round pick for Reddish, and they get that with Knox, whose Knicks career was just unable to take off.
A 22-year-old Kentucky product drafted ninth overall in 2018, Knox proved to be a project too great for the rebuilding Knicks as he quickly fell out of favor in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. After averaging 28.5 minutes per game his rookie year, he played just 8.5 minutes in just 13 appearances this season.
