Last season, the New York Knicks decided that they wanted to set the market, not be playing catch up to everyone else. So, they acquired Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons about a month before the NBA trade deadline. They took the same approach this season.
New York acquired Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and a 2025 second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kevin Knox II and a 2022 first-round pick via the Charlotte Hornets which is lottery protected.
This is an excellent trade for the Knicks, as Reddish will help the team on the wing, where they are lacking defensive-minded options. They had Reggie Bullock in that role last season but failed to replace him when he decided to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency.
Reddish very well could be the first in a string of deals that the Knicks make. With his addition, that means someone will need to have their role changed in the rotation. He cannot just be swapped in for Knox, as Knox was not in the team’s regular rotation.
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Something will have to give and another trade would make some sense. Who could the Knicks be targeting in another deal? New York is reportedly one of the potential suitors for Indiana Pacers wing, Caris LeVert.
Caris LeVert has known suitors in Cleveland and New York, but so far Indiana has requested multiple first-round picks for the 27-year-old guard as well, sources said.
That is a steep asking price that the Indiana Pacers have set. Multiple first-round picks are a lot for a player with the injury history that LeVert has will be a tough sell to get any team to bite at.
However, if the Knicks are legitimately interested in bringing in Caris LeVert, Evan Fournier and Alec Burks would likely be involved in the negotiations. Tom Thibodeau is not going to play more than a 10-player rotation, so bringing in a second wing along with Reddish without moving out at least one of Fournier or Burks is unrealistic.
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Ideally, the New York Knicks will keep a rotation spot for rookie Quentin Grimes, who has helped the team turn things around on the defensive end and provides excellent floor spacing as a strong 3-point shooter. The Hawks asked for him in negotiations with Reddish and the team would not include him, so it is clear that the organization has big plans for the first-round pick out of Houston.
