The Atlanta Hawks have been lauded for the direction they have taken the roster in terms of player type, specifically around Trae Young. It is a similar mold to the one they boasted when they made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21.
That team has been piecemealed over the last few years, leaving Young, Clint Capela, and Onyeka Okongwu as the only remaining members.
One of the first to go, Cam Reddish, recently found himself in an all-too-familiar position.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are converting two-way Jordan Goodwin to a standard NBA contract, making him playoff eligible, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X on March 27. “The Lakers are waiving Cam Reddish to create roster space for Goodwin, sources tell ESPN.”
The Hawks selected Reddish with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. He played 21 games during the regular season in 2020-21, missing the Hawks’ final 42 games of a truncated campaign.
Reddish returned for the postseason and averaged a 12.8/3.5/1.8 line with 1.5 steals in four appearances during the ECF.
Reddish requested and was granted a trade, landing with the New York Knicks.
The former high school star and Duke Blue Devils standout made 35 appearances split across two campaigns with the Knicks, who moved him to the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-team trade in 2023.
Ex-Hawks wing Cam Reddish a victim of unfortunate timing
Reddish signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract with the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent that offseason.
A prototypically-built wing with a versatile skill set, Reddish started 26 games for LA in Year 1.
Reddish made 48 appearances that season, which stands as the third-highest of his career. He has appeared in 33 games in 2024-25, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.0 RPG with 1.0 SPG with the Lakers.
Unfortunately for Reddish, the timing of all of this is quite inopportune. He is ineligible to play in the postseason since he was waived after the March 1 deadline.
Reddish sought a greater opportunity with his trade request.
His 58 games played as a rookie still stand as his career high. He only saw more minutes during his 20-game, 12-start stint with the Blazers. He has not played in a postseason game despite being on the Lakers’ roster last season, and his next team will be his fifth since 2022.
Reddish’s is a cautionary tale. Even the most talented players – which peers Anthony Edwards have suggested about Reddish – need more than that to succeed.
The grass is not always greener on the other side.
Current Hawks GM Landry Fields was in his first season with Atlanta and in an assistant chair during that ECF run. He became the GM the offseason after the Hawks traded Reddish. It adds further context to what Fields means when he talks about players having “Hawks DNA.”