With it still being less than a year since the New York Knicks sent Kevin Knox and a protected first-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Cam Reddish, the 23-year-old’s future remains unclear. He was sidelined with a month left in the 2021-22 season with a shoulder injury, and now, he’s been forced out of the rotation completely by Tom Thibodeau.
Reddish will enter restricted free agency during the offseason, but his performance as a starter earlier in the year led to many fans believing that the 2019 lottery pick may have a future in New York. However, since then, that belief has been erased as it’s been nearly a month since he last played in a game.
At the beginning of December, Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News reported that Reddish’s representatives were working with the Knicks on a trade. That report was echoed by Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. And after New York’s embarrassing 126-121 overtime loss to Dallas on Dec. 27, Reddish opened up about what it’s been like for him being out of the rotation.
Cam Reddish says he hasn’t been told what he needs to do to return to Knicks rotation
Here’s what Cam Reddish had to say about how he’s been handling being removed from the rotation.
"“I don’t have control over s–t. So I can’t do too much thinking [about my DNP status],” Reddish, who was acquired by the Knicks for a first-round pick last season, said. “I’ll think myself into misery. You know how that goes. That’s just human nature. I just try to stay in the gym. Work out. And go from there.”"
He went a little deeper and said that he hasn’t been told what he must do to return to the rotation.
"“I’m going to be 1000% honest with you — you probably know more about that than me,” he said. “I have no idea. None.”"
Reddish’s name has popped up in multiple trade rumors, so it’d be hard to see him remaining on New York’s roster beyond the Feb. 9 deadline. Given that he’s only 23, he could go elsewhere and turn his NBA career around after rocky tenures with the Hawks and Knicks. As the front office presumably continues to work to find a suitable deal for Reddish, it makes sense that he hasn’t been playing. If he were to get injured, that’d erase the chance of a trade altogether.
However, with RJ Barrett out with a finger laceration, the idea of Reddish playing again resurfaced. Instead of playing Reddish on Thursday night in San Antonio, though, Thibodeau opted to play Evan Fournier, who is under contract through the 2023-24 season. Even with a couple of key injuries, Thibodeau has shown that he isn’t going to turn to Reddish. It’s clear at this point that the Knicks don’t plan on paying Reddish over the offseason.
Reddish’s current mindset about being out of the rotation is a good one to have because like he said, he doesn’t have control over it. All that he can do is continue to get in the gym and work out, but there does seem to be some frustration there. You’d think that at the very least, Reddish would be given some information regarding his role and future with the Knicks.
At this point, fans should be rooting for Cam Reddish to be traded. His inconsistencies have been an issue in New York, but it’s become a bit painful to watch him be stowed away on the bench even when the team could use him. Hopefully, he’ll be able to find success at his next stop, wherever that may be.
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