Knicks Trade Cam Reddish and Draft Capital for Trail Blazers’ Josh Hart
The New York Knicks made their first move of the trade deadline on Wednesday night, sending the 23-year-old Cam Reddish and a protected first-rounder to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland’s most likely trade candidate – Josh Hart – will head back to the Big Apple, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
While a first-rounder that will most likely convey is a bit of a hefty price for a role player that could hit unrestricted free agency this summer, I still really like this deal for New York. Reddish has been out of the rotation and a non-factor in their 30-26 campaign. Meanwhile, Hart is an experienced contributor who has the kind of 3-and-D skillset that could immediately fit into almost any starting lineup on a contending team. He should only help in New York’s push for a top-6 seed.
What I’m curious to see now is whether or not this is just the start of the trade action for both teams. New York and Portland have been rumored in a handful of other deals, as both look to lock in a playoff bid this season. The Trail Blazers’ pursuit of playoff-caliber talent is especially something the Bulls will want to keep an eye on. Chicago owns their lottery-protected first-round pick, so they will need Portland to crack the postseason for that to land in their pocket.
Speaking of which, below is a post we wrote earlier this week on the potential importance of that first-rounder for the Blazers. With Hart out of the picture – who started 51 games this season – I have to imagine they’ll be in the market for an upgrade of some kind. And that could be great news for the Bulls.
