Knicks’ Trade For Cam Reddish Sparks Thoughts Of Zion Williamson Going To New York

The New York Knicks on Thursday acquired Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN reports, executing the first notable NBA trade of 2022. The deal reunites Reddish with former Duke teammate R.J. Barrett, leading basketball fans to discuss the idea of a third former Blue Devil playing in New York.

Zion Williamson, Reddish and Barrett were all freshmen on the same star-studded Duke basketball team. The Knicks picked Barrett third overall in the 2019 NBA draft, two spots after the New Orleans Pelicans took Williamson with the first overall pick. Reddish went 10th to Atlanta.

There has been speculation that Williamson could end up in a Knicks uniform, given his glowing remarks about New York and his reported frustrations with the Pelicans. Williamson has spent most of his three-year career recovering from injuries — including all of this season — further putting his future in New Orleans in question.

Shortly after news of Thursday’s trade broke, “Zion” became as high as the No. 5 trending top on Twitter, while “Knicks” took the top spot. “RJ and Cam” was also among the top trends as NBA Twitter discussed New York’s new duo and the possibility of all three players teaming up in the Big Apple.

When healthy, Williamson has proven to be among the league’s most productive scorers. Williamson was a 2021 All-Star in his second NBA season, averaging 27 points on just 17 field-goal attempts per game.

Barrett struggled to start this season after a positive 2020-21 campaign, though the 21-year-old might be turning a corner. Barrett has put together back-to-back 30-point games and averaged 24.6 points over the last seven games.

Like Williamson, Reddish has missed a lot of games since being drafted. Considered to have a high ceiling as a pro, Reddish is averaging career highs of 11.9 points, 40.2% field-goal shooting, 37.9% 3-point shooting and 90% shooting from the free-throw line.

The Knicks are getting Reddish, Solomon Hill and a 2025 second-round draft pick in exchange for Kevin Knox and a protected 2022 first-round pick, via Charlotte, according to reports.