NBA Trade News: Atlanta Hawks trade Cam Reddish to New York Knicks for first-round pick in 2022 draft; Here’s what we know so far

Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish is off to play for the New York Knicks after a trade between the two organizations. It’s one of the NBA’s first sizeable trades as the Hawks look to make a number of changes to their roster.

Reddish has been an up-and-coming forward, but there were recent rumblings that Atlanta was willing to move the 22-year-old. The trade was first reported Thursday by ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. In exchange for Reddish, the New York Knicks are acquiring a number of draft selections, as well as veteran forward Solomon Hill.

Here’s what we know so dar

This is the first trade that is going to send shockwaves throughout the NBA.

Cam Reddish is viewed as a young wing who still has his best basketball ahead of him. There had been speculation that the Atlanta Hawks (17-23) were looking to make changes to their roster.

The Hawks have one of the league’s most talented rosters, but they haven’t built off an impressive run to the Eastern Conference finals last year.

Reddish was a tricky situation for Atlanta. As much as the team wanted to keep him, the 6-foot-8 forward was expected to hit free agency this offseason. If the Hawks weren’t sold on giving Reddish a lengthy extension, they risked the possibility of losing him for nothing this summer. So, they decided to get draft capital in return.

According to ESPN’s Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, the pick protections from the acquired first-round pick are top 18 protected for 2022.

Many will wonder if the Hawks trading Reddish could be the start of a bigger trade down the road. There have been rumblings that Philadelphia 76ers disgruntled guard Ben Simmons has been connected to the Hawks.

For the Knicks, it’s a massive get as the team acquires another young talented wing to pair alongside RJ Barrett. They played together at Duke, and it will be fascinating to see what the two can do for the Knicks. Reddish has been up-and-down with his play this year. But he had a seven-game stretch last month when he averaged 18.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range.

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Atlanta selected Reddish with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He has averaged 11.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg in his career. He has played in 118 games, with 62 starts.