Cam Reddish

Knicks Reportedly Working With Reddish’s Reps To Find Trade

The Knicks are working with Cam Reddish‘s representatives in the hopes of finding a landing spot for the fourth-year forward, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

A former 10th overall pick, Reddish emerged early this season as a key part of New York’s rotation, even starting eight straight games in November before suffering a right groin injury that sidelined him for three contests. In total, he has averaged 8.4 PPG and 1.6 RPG on .449/.304/.879 shooting in 20 appearances (21.9 MPG) this season.

However, Reddish’s playing time declined steadily after he returned from that groin injury and he received his first DNP-CD of the season on Sunday vs. Cleveland.

As Bondy notes, while Derrick Rose spoke to reporters this week about accepting his demotion out of the rotation, the Knicks have declined to make Reddish available to the media for three straight days, including on Wednesday ahead of a matchup against his former team, the Hawks.

We already knew, based on previous reports, that the Knicks had discussed Reddish in recent trade talks. The reported involvement of his agents in the effort to find a trade partner is a signal that his camp may feel a change of scenery is in Reddish’s best interest, which is similar to what we heard approximately three months ago.

As a 2019 first-round pick, Reddish is in the final year of his rookie contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency at the end of the season. He’s earning approximately $5.95MM in 2022/23.

For his part, head coach Tom Thibodeau said this week that Reddish’s demotion was about shortening the rotation and giving the Knicks the best chance to win, adding that one DNP-CD didn’t mean the 23-year-old wouldn’t seen any playing time going forward.

“Rarely is anything ever permanent. When another opportunity comes, be ready,” Thibodeau said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “That’s all … right now (Reddish and Rose) are not in the rotation but be ready, you could be thrown into the rotation at any time. In the meantime, be a great teammate, help us in practice. That’s what you do control. I think that’s an important part of being a team.”

Knicks Rumors: Rose, Reddish, Quickley, Fournier

The Knicks have been “active on trade calls” more than two months ahead of this season’s February 9 trade deadline, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who notes that the team has shown a tendency in recent years to complete its major moves well before the deadline arrives.

New York’s 2021 acquisition of Derrick Rose came approximately a month-and-a-half before the trade deadline, while last season’s Cam Reddish deal was finalized about four weeks ahead of the deadline.

Incidentally, Rose and Reddish are two of the players the Knicks are discussing most frequently with potential trade partners, along with Immanuel Quickley and Evan Fournier, league sources tell Katz.

Here’s where things stand with those four players, per Katz:

  • There’s not a ton of demand for Rose, whose production and playing time have both dropped off this season. According to Katz, teams are wary of giving up much for the 34-year-old, especially given his injury history.
  • The market for Reddish also isn’t particularly hot, with the Knicks considered very unlikely to recoup the sort of return they gave up for him last season (Kevin Knox‘s expiring contract and a protected first-round pick). Like Rose, Reddish has recently fallen out of Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation, which doesn’t help his trade value.
  • The Knicks have discussed various types of deals involving Quickley. In scenarios where he’s the only outgoing player, the club has sought a first-round pick, Katz writes. The thinking is that New York has an overcrowded depth chart and wants to free up playing time, so the team is exploring player-for-pick or two-for-one scenarios, Katz adds.
  • The Knicks’ front office has shown no interest in attaching draft assets to Fournier just to move him, since getting his contract off the books wouldn’t create much extra cap flexibility in 2023 (the club would still have $113MM+ in guaranteed money committed to eight other players). However, league sources tell Katz that New York has conveyed a willingness to attach Quickley or Reddish to Fournier when discussing potential trades.

Knicks Notes: Mitchell, Grimes, Reddish, Rose

A potentially embarrassing night turned into a positive for the Knicks as Donovan Mitchell made his first appearance of the season at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, writes Steve Popper of Newsday.

Mitchell, a New York native who was nearly traded to the Knicks this summer, has raised his game since Cleveland swooped in with a better offer. Although he scored 23 points in Sunday’s contest, he was limited to 8-of-22 from the field and 2-of-11 from three-point range. Afterward, he wasn’t interested in speculating about what might have happened if New York’s front office had completed the trade.

“What’s done is done, and I’m happy as hell to be where I’m at,” Mitchell said. “At the end of the day, this decision was made and I don’t think I’ve been happier since I’ve been in the league. But I think for me it’s always going to be motivation to come back and play well in my hometown, but you could say that about anybody. But with what happened this summer, it’s over with, it happened and I’m happy to be with the Cavaliers.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Quentin Grimes, whom the Knicks were reluctant to include in a potential deal with Utah, was excited to get the assignment to guard Mitchell, Popper adds. Grimes set the tone in the first quarter as Mitchell hit just 1-of-6 shots, with his lone make coming on a switch. “I knew that was going to be a big matchup with everything that happened this summer,” Grimes said. “Come in focused. That’s one of the best players in the NBA. Had to stay locked in, and I feel like I did a good job on him today and we came out with a win.”
  • Cam Reddish didn’t play against Cleveland as coach Tom Thibodeau trimmed his rotation for the game, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Braziller notes that Reddish has been ineffective since returning from a groin injury and adjusting to a reserve role after spending time as a starter earlier in the fall.
  • Derrick Rose also wasn’t used Sunday, marking his first healthy scratch of the season, adds Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Thibodeau indicated that it may have been a one-game situation with Rose, resting the veteran guard because the team was on the second night of a back-to-back. “I wanted to get it to nine-man rotation,” Thibodeau told reporters. “It worked a lot better.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Sims, Reddish

Starting center Mitchell Robinson will be back on the floor for the Knicks on Sunday, the team has announced (Twitter link). He’ll come in handy against formidable Phoenix big man Deandre Ayton and the rest of the 9-6 Suns in an afternoon matchup.

Robinson has missed New York’s last eight games with a sprained right knee. Through eight games, all starts, he is averaging 6.5 PPG on 69.7% shooting, along with 6.4 RPG, 2.3 BPG and 1.0 APG. Reserve centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims had alternately started in Robinson’s stead.

There’s more out of the City That Never Sleeps:

  • Sims had been showing out with Robinson absent, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. In 27 minutes as a reserve behind Hartenstein on Friday, Sims chipped in a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. “You hear all the time coaches saying ‘stay ready,’ and that’s all I’ve really been doing. The time will come that you’ll get more time,” Sims said. The 6’9″ big man was drafted with the No. 58 pick out of Texas in 2021, and appears to have real NBA ability. In New York’s past eight games with Robinson sidelined, Sims averaged 6.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 1.4 BPG. “Yeah, the athleticism, great feet. Gives you the opportunity to switch more [on the defensive end],”  Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Very good playmaker on short rolls. We still haven’t seen it in the games, but we’ve seen it in practice. He’s got a real good feel for it.”
  • Knicks swingman Cam Reddish suffered a right groin injury during the third quarter of the team’s 111-101 loss to the Warriors on Friday, Botte writes in a separate piece. New York revealed (via Twitter) that Reddish, who had started eight straight games leading up to the injury, will sit out at least today’s contest. “It was competing against the greatest ever, to be honest,” Reddish said of his experience defending All-NBA Warriors point guard Stephen Curry. “It was fun. Tough, too. He’s non-stop moving. That’s probably why my groin is hurting. But I enjoy the competition.” Botte notes that Quentin Grimes could be elevated to a starting role with Reddish absent.
  • In case you missed it, the Knicks are reportedly amenable to discussing trades involving reserve guards Immanuel Quickley and/or Derrick Rose.

Scotto’s Latest: C. Johnson, Washington, G. Williams, Reddish, White

The Suns discussed a rookie scale extension with Cameron Johnson that would have been worth about $66-72MM over four years, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on his latest podcast. Scotto points out that those figures are in line with recent contracts for shooters such as Davis Bertans, Joe Harris and Duncan Robinson, but there’s a belief that Johnson can earn more considering the expected rise in the salary cap and his role on a contending team.

Johnson was off to a great start, averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 43.1% from three-point range, before undergoing meniscus surgery that could sideline him for up to two months. Scotto notes that Phoenix gave Mikal Bridges a four-year, $90MM extension and cites league sources who have told him the team doesn’t want to approach that number to keep Johnson.

On the same podcast, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype said Johnson will be in demand as a restricted free agent, even if he doesn’t make a full recovery during the season. He notes that Collin Sexton received $72MM over four years after missing nearly an entire season with a meniscus tear and suggests that Johnson will get at least that much. Gozlan adds that Johnson is much easier to trade without an extension and wonders if that was the Suns’ plan all along.

The duo discussed several other players who are headed to restricted free agency:

  • The Hornets were offering P.J. Washington a four-year extension in the $50-52MM range, but he’s hoping for an annual salary closer to $20MM, sources tell Scotto. Washington has become a full-time starter with the loss of Miles Bridges and is averaging a career-high 14.6 points and 1.1 blocks per game. Gozlan believes Washington made the right decision, noting that the mid-level exception will soon be in the range of Charlotte’s offer.
  • The Celtics never offered Grant Williams more than $50MM in guaranteed money over four seasons, according to Scotto, who adds that Williams would have accepted a deal that paid him at least $14MM a year. Williams’ hot start puts him in line for a much bigger contract, and some sources tell Scotto he’ll get an offer starting in the $18MM range, which might be too high for Boston to match.
  • The Knicks didn’t have serious extension talks with Cam Reddish, but he has a chance to change his outlook after moving into the starting lineup, Scotto notes. Gozlan expects Reddish to get full MLE offers next summer if he keeps producing.
  • Coby White has become a trade candidate for the Bulls, NBA executives tell Scotto. White’s production continues to fall and he doesn’t appear to have a future in Chicago’s backcourt.

Atlantic Notes: Reddish, Simmons, Thomas, Rivers

Forward Cam Reddish is headed to free agency next summer and he’ll be restricted if the Knicks extend a qualifying offer. Reddish is getting a chance to enhance his value, as he’s been inserted into the starting lineup, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. Reddish played 37 minutes against Boston on Saturday and 29 minutes against Minnesota on Monday.

“It’s been cool, man, it’s been fun. It’s obviously been a journey, and I’m just trying to continue to grind,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’ve done much of anything up to this point, but every single night is a new opportunity to prove myself at both ends of the floor. So I’m just trying to go out there and do that.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Nets’ Ben Simmons missed four games due to a sore knee and didn’t have much of an impact upon his return, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. He finished with two points, two assists and three rebounds in 16 minutes against Dallas. “I’m my harshest critic, so I think terrible,” Simmons said of his performance. “There’s a place I want to get to. I’ve got to keep working. I’ve got to keep pushing myself.”
  • Cam Thomas has been one of the beneficiaries of Kyrie Irving‘s suspension, Lewis points out in another post. Thomas had previously expressed frustration over his limited role but he has played at least 29 minutes over the past three games. The Nets’ second-year guard has averaged 19 points and four assists in those outings. “It means a lot. It was a rough first two, three weeks of the season for me,” Thomas said. “So for Coach (Jacque Vaughn) to have trust in me to close the game out, and play me a good amount of minutes these last two games, I can’t thank him enough for that.”
  • Doc Rivers doesn’t deserve to be the fall guy for the Sixers’ slow start, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. James Harden is out with a foot injury and Joel Embiid has missed some games, Pompey notes, while free agent acquisition P.J. Tucker hasn’t been the defensive stalwart the team had hoped after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

Atlantic Notes: Siakam, VanVleet, Fournier, Reddish, Sixers

The injury bug that first afflicted the Raptors‘ All-Star point guard is now affecting their All-NBA forward as well. As Dave Feschuk of The Toronto Star details, Pascal Siakam left Friday’s loss to Dallas in the third quarter due to a strained groin and didn’t return to the game. Toronto was already missing Fred VanVleet, who was sidelined for a third straight game due to lower back soreness.

While the Raptors have yet to issue an update on the severity of Siakam’s injury, they’re optimistic that VanVleet’s absence won’t last much longer.

“We had practice (Thursday), he went through full practice. I thought he’d probably be going tonight,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said before Friday’s game. “I’m expecting him back pretty soon.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Knicks veteran wing Evan Fournier was displaced from the starting lineup on Friday and played a season-low 14 minutes, but he’s taking it in a stride, says Peter Botte of The New York Post. “We see it every year,” Fournier said of the lineup shake-up. “Last year with Kemba (Walker). So I’m going to do the best with what I have, try to impact winning and be a good teammate. That’s all you can ask for. Just do my best. Be a pro and take it from there…By doing your job.”
  • Quentin Grimes‘ ascension to the starting lineup didn’t affect Cam Reddish‘s role. As Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes, Reddish – who is in a contract year – scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes and was a plus-19 in a two-point win over Philadelphia. “He was very good,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Overall hustle, length, running the floor, moving without the ball, a lot of good plays.”
  • Rich Hofmann of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN both consider what the new few weeks in Philadelphia will look like with Sixers star James Harden sidelined due to a foot injury. The club was also missing Joel Embiid on Friday, as the star center missed a third consecutive game due to a non-COVID illness.
  • In case you missed it, we rounded up several Nets-related items earlier this morning.

Atlantic Notes: Thybulle, Kyrie, Reddish, Mazzulla

Given his offensive shortcomings, it was understandable that Matisse Thybulle wasn’t part of the Sixers‘ regular rotation early in the season, but the team’s defensive woes made it clear he needed to get a shot, Rich Hofmann of The Athletic wrote ahead of Friday’s game in Toronto.

Thybulle got that shot on Friday. After playing just six scoreless minutes in the team’s first five games, the fourth-year wing logged 22 minutes in Philadelphia’s win over the Raptors and held his own on both ends of the court. Thybulle initially passed up on one open three-point opportunity, then had another blocked, but he responded by continuing to shoot and made a pair of attempts from beyond the arc.

“The old me would have folded in that moment,” Thybulle said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Like you pass up, you get a little shook on your first attempt. On your second attempt, you get blocked. I think the old me folds and isn’t able to show up for those next two shots and make them. So I mean, honestly, to be able to sit here and be proud of myself feels really good. And to sit in the locker room and give myself my flowers and say, ‘Yeah, you did the work and you trusted it and were able to let it come through during the game.'”

It’s a big year for Thybulle, who will be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2023 offseason after not signing a rookie scale extension with the Sixers before the season began.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • According to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, Nets owner Joe Tsai and the team have condemned Kyrie Irving‘s social media posts promoting the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,’ which is widely considered to be antisemitic, as Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone details. “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation,” Tsai tweeted. “I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
  • Cam Reddish hasn’t just been earning regular rotation minutes for the Knicks so far — he has also been part of some of the team’s crunch-time lineups, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. After playing nearly the full overtime period in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte, Reddish said that his confidence is “sky high,” adding that he thinks he’s “doing a pretty good job trying to find my niche.” The fourth-year forward will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2023.
  • Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com solicited some early opinions on Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, and the reviews were generally positive. “Joe’s like Ime (Udoka) in the way that he’s not afraid to be straight with guys and go at them when he has to,” a source close to the situation told Bulpett. “But he also knows what went wrong last year and that there’s some basic stuff that needs fixing.” One opposing personnel source did question Mazzulla’s rotation decisions, opining that it’s too early in the season to be leaning so heavily on the team’s top seven or eight players.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Offense, Reddish

Knicks power forward Julius Randle has been enjoying a solid run as a play-maker for New York in this young NBA season, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Reserve combo guard Derrick Rose appreciates the improvement.

“The way he’s reading the floor is totally different,” Rose raved. “His passing has been unbelievable. Understanding that we want to get up a certain amount of threes and he’s finding the shooters.”

With starting point guard Jalen Brunson function as the club’s primary passer, Randle has become a supplemental ball-handler among the starters, which appears to be a better fit for him.

There’s more out of New York:

  • Though Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau remains focused on the defense, the team is developing on the offensive side of the ball early in the season as well, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. The team has been significantly faster-paced and more pass-happy than last year’s incarnation, per Popper. New York is fifth in scoring and 17th in pace after ranking 29th in pace during the 2021/22 season. “It’s not just playing fast, and you don’t want to take reckless shots, but you got to move without the ball and you got to move with pace,” Thibodeau said. “And so, getting it up fast is the initial part, but creating the movement is the secondary part that’s equally important, and then when we put it down and we drive the ball, attack the rim.”
  • Knicks forward Cam Reddish, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has enjoyed a stellar start to his fourth NBA season. His effort in practice could be a key factor in his play so far, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “It’s what a guy does in practice every day,” Thibodeau said of Reddish’s performative improvement. “Usually, if you practice well, you’re gonna play well.. He’s gotten a lot better offensively and defensively… And a big part of that is, I think, him getting comfortable with his teammates, his teammates getting comfortable with him. His attitude’s been great. Just keep working.”

Atlantic Notes: Grimes, Reddish, J. Harris, Harden, Sixers

After Knicks guard Quentin Grimes aggravated his left foot injury during last Friday’s preseason finale, the team doesn’t intend to bring him back until he’s fully pain-free in that foot and not at risk of re-aggravating the injury, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

“He’s got to be able to sustain it,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So if he ramps it up and there’s anything there, it’s basically day-to-day. So just follow the protocol and plan that the trainers have laid out.”

With Grimes out of the rotation, Cam Reddish got an opportunity to play a bigger role in the Knicks’ opener on Wednesday and took full advantage, scoring 22 points off the bench, as Begley details in another SNY.tv. story. It was hugely important performance for Reddish, who is in a contract year and didn’t impress in the preseason.

As Begley observes, Reddish will presumably be given an opportunity to solidify a rotation spot for as long as Grimes remains out. If Reddish continues to play well and Grimes is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see whose rotation spot might be at risk, since the Knicks won’t want to sit Grimes, a Thibodeau favorite.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris will be available on Friday for the first time in nearly a year. Harris, who underwent two ankle surgeries last season and missed this season’s opener due to foot soreness, said he’ll play tonight after being listed as probable, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The veteran forward last played a regular season game on November 14, 2021.
  • After a “workaholic” summer in the gym, Sixers star James Harden feels rejuvenated, he told reporters on Thursday, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Hampered by a hamstring issue last season, Harden has looked like his old self after signing a new contract with Philadelphia this summer, averaging 33.0 PPG, 8.0 APG, and 8.0 RPG on 57.9% shooting in two games against tough defenses (Boston and Milwaukee).
  • As expected, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has sold his 10% stake in the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who says that 76 Devcorp chairman David Adelman bought a “substantial” share of that stake. Adelman’s real estate development company is working on a plan to build a new 76ers arena in downtown Philadelphia, Wojnarowski adds.