The New York Knicks Cam Reddish trade is the start of something bigger

The New York Knicks have set the foundation

This is about more than just the talent on the roster.

This is about relationships, connections, asset management, all of the things you look for in a strong and steady organization.

The New York Knicks have a head coach that has a huge amount of respect for players around the league.

They have a president in Leon Rose who has years of relationships with players and other front offices around the NBA. The rest of the Knicks coaching staff, from Johnnie Bryant to Kenny Payne, have strong relationships with NBA stars around the league.

But what I really want to highlight here is the relationships among the players on the roster.

Cam Reddish has strong connections with current New York Knicks players and other high-end talents around the NBA.

Between Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Quentin Grimes, the New York Knicks have 5 of the top 25 recruits in the 2018 class.

So many of these guys have already played together on various AAU tournaments and pro-development circuits.

The Knicks are building not just a competitive group of young and talented players but it’s a group of guys that can grow together.

Long gone are the days of simply hoping any big-time free agent will come to the Knicks “because it’s the Knicks.”

Forget the lore of “The Mecca” and the New York Knicks. That’s not to say those aren’t factors, but those are very secondary things in a player’s desire to make a free agency decision. Especially for a generation of players who grew watching the Knicks as NBA basement dwellers.

Maybe they make a bigger move 1-2 years from now. As far as Zion Williamson goes, you can’t help but consider that a realistic scenario.

No one, not even the Pelicans really know what is going on with Williamson and his future plans, and that’s just a fact. That qualifying offer is on the horizon and one of those sides is going to have to vocalize something at some point.

Between their Kentucky connections, 2018 class connections, Leon Rose connections, and brand of basketball instilled by Tom Thibodeau, this entire regime has had a great start to the seemingly impossible task of transforming this franchise and waking up the sleeping giant that is the New York Knicks.

Trading for Cam Reddish is just another piece in this long journey.