Atlanta Hawks wing Cam Reddish has been the subject of several trade rumors since his coming-out-party against the Milwaukee Bucks in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals (Reddish shot 64.3 percent from beyond the arc in the series while totaling 21 points in an elimination Game 6). The thinking behind a Reddish trade for the Hawks is that he’s a replaceable part of their offense and the front office could get a reasonable haul for him.
In thought, setting back the extension clock as it concerns a player on their rookie deal makes sense. On the other hand, Reddish has shown glimpses of why he was a top-10 draft pick two years ago. Those instances outweigh the merit behind trading away the Duke product.
Here’s why the Hawks should keep Reddish.
Cam Reddish is part of Atlanta Hawks’ depth
Reddish hasn’t made substantial progress in the box score across his three seasons in the NBA. That said, he has been more efficient of late and consistently showcased an ability to score in varying ways.
Reddish is adept at draining jump shots from the perimeter, scoring off the dribble and skying above the rim; he has a well-rounded offensive skill set. Removing Reddish from the equation for future draft capital takes away from the Hawks’ greatest strength, that being their depth.
Of course, the sun rises and sets with Trae Young. At the same time, head coach Nate McMillan’s rotation is made up of a bevy of scorers who allow the team to not be overly reliant on one player.
- Cam Reddish stats (2021-22): 11.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.3/38.2/89.1
Young is an elite point guard. Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are steady, shooting scorers. John Collins is a bouncy interior threat who can stretch the floor. Danilo Gallinari is a proven scorer. Lou Williams has been there, done that. Clint Capela is one of the best centers in the NBA. Second-year big man Onyeka Okongwu is a versatile offensive player. De’Andre Hunter can score off the dribble and hit the boards. As previously alluded to, Reddish can fill up the cup.
Once a team starts getting complacent with its depth, such as moving Reddish for the sake of preserving future payroll, the very thing that got them so far begins to deteriorate.
Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter each have injury history
Arguably the strongest case for keeping Reddish is the health history of both him and Hunter, who the Hawks selected with their pair of top-10 selections in the 2019 NBA Draft.
These two are forever connected by their draft selections but are also connected in the present in that they’ve each had injuries stymie their careers thus far. Both players missed time in their rookie seasons and then appeared in a combined 49 games in the 2020-21 season. Furthermore, neither player was on the floor at the same time in the 2021 Playoffs, as Hunter’s season ended due to a knee injury in the early going and Reddish made his playoff debut three weeks after Hunter went down.
Unfortunately, the Hawks have essentially seen their former first-rounders play half of the possible games they’ve been under contract for. If they move on from Reddish, they need Hunter to be on the floor more often, and vice versa.
Both players will hit free agency at the same time. When they presumably hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2023, the Hawks will have a better read on the health status and impact Reddish and Hunter have.
The Hawks giving out long-term contracts to Young, Collins, Bogdanovic, Huerter and Gallinari hamstrings their payroll flexibility, meaning they’re inevitably going to lose at least one of Reddish and Hunter to free agency. So, why isn’t that reason to move Reddish for value before the NBA trade deadline?
Atlanta Hawks need everybody to win the Eastern Conference
Would an NBA team rather win a championship and lose 30 percent of their core to free agency or move 30 percent of their core for future draft picks and come up short of the NBA Finals? It’s a silly question because any contender wants to win.
The Hawks need everyone to win the East. As deep as they are, there’s no margin for error when a championship is on the line. Although the East has been lacking a bit this season, the Hawks are part of its collectively bizarre start, as they’re just 12-12. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are a perennial force, the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards are arguably more talented than years past, the Chicago Bulls are an emerging hassle and a handful of young teams are making strides.
Atlanta has to be firing on all cylinders to win the East, which they didn’t do until the midway point of last season. They’re not going to be able to do as such if they take away from their offensive depth. The best example of this strength is the Hawks’ closeout Game 7 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2021 Playoffs.
Young and Bogdanovic shot a combined 7-of-31 from the field, but the likes of Huerter, Gallinari and Collins stepped up and made clutch buckets for the Hawks to advance. If Atlanta didn’t have all that offensive firepower, who’s to say they don’t get pushed to seven games by the New York Knicks in round one and/or lose to Philadelphia in round two?
Keep Cam Reddish and play out the season.