NEW YORK — RJ Barrett is reuniting with his old college running mate. The Knicks are acquiring Cam Reddish in a deal with the Hawks, according to an ESPN report. The package headed to Atlanta is headlined by a protected first-round pick and Kevin Knox.
The 2022 pick is heavily protected, with the pick only going to Atlanta if the Hornets’ first-rounder (originally acquired by the Knicks last year) falls outside of the top 18.
Reddish, who played with Barrett at Duke and was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft, struggled with injuries and inconsistency his first two years in the league. The Hawks moved him to a bench role this season, where he’s thrived in slightly decreased minutes.
His shooting has improved significantly — 37.9% on 3-pointers after barely cracking 30% through 2021 — and he’s averaging a career-high 18.3 points per 36 minutes. He’s also stayed healthy after struggling with an Achilles injury that limited him to just 26 games last year.
But Reddish was seeking an “increased role,” according to ESPN, and the Knicks are desperate for a boost. Their erstwhile best player, Julius Randle, has faded into a low-confidence pit, leaving Barrett to shoulder most of the burden offensively. And Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker, who have been largely useful on offense when healthy, have struggled to stay on the court, with Rose out since Dec. 16 after ankle surgery and Walker permanently day-to-day with a creaky knee.
“The defense has pretty much been there,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier this week. “It’s the offense has been inconsistent.”
Reddish doesn’t address the Knicks’ ongoing hole at point guard, but he does give them scoring punch that can spell or play alongside Barrett.
Shipping Knox out in the deal marks yet another failed lottery pick in New York. Knox, the No. 9 pick in 2018, flashed potential in his rookie year. He then regressed in Year 2 and was stapled to the bench under Thibodeau, averaging just 11 minutes last year and appearing in only 13 games this year.
Solomon Hill, an NBA rotation staple in his ninth year and fifth team in Atlanta, is also joining the Knicks, as is an unknown eighth-grader in the form of a 2025 Nets second-round pick. Hill is in the trade to make the contracts work, as he is on a one-year deal and out for the season with a torn hamstring.
