One name that has been attached to the Los Angeles Lakers for well over a year is 2019 lottery pick, Cam Reddish. Reddish’s tenure with the New York Knicks has not gone well to the point that he is completely out of the Knicks’ rotation this season.
Reddish still has potential and the Lakers are one of the best teams in the league at realizing a young player’s potential. With Los Angeles desperately needing wing depth, adding Reddish for a reasonable price could be a great move.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Knicks have slashed Reddish’s price to that of a second-round pick. Stein also reported that the Lakers are not alone in the trade market, as both the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks are interested in Reddish.
The Reddish trade market is heating up and he could be traded at any moment. But can the Lakers beat the other two teams out for the young forward? Which team is the most likely to land Reddish?
Ranking the potential Cam Reddish trade suitors:
3. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have the most ground to make up when it comes to draft capital. Dallas does not have much to offer the Knicks in the second round (they also already have their first-round pick going to New York this year).
Dallas has made a slew of trades with second-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft and as it stands right now, it does not appear that the team is going to have any picks in the second round in 2023.
However, according to Stein’s report, that might not even matter. The Knicks are reportedly interested in Reggie Bullock being sent back via trade and on paper, it seems to make sense as Bullock has struggled from beyond the arc this season.
However, Bullock also played an instrumental part in Dallas’ postseason run last season and it is hard to see the team wanting to move him for an unproven asset like Reddish because of that playoff ceiling.
With Bullock probably off the table and not a lot of draft capital to send, the Mavericks feel like the least likely team to get Reddish.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers seem like the second-most likely team to trade for Cam Reddish of the three teams mentioned as potential suitors. Los Angeles may have the most reason to trade for Reddish but they do not have the best assets to trade.
In fact, you could make the case that Los Angeles should rank below Dallas because of the Reggie Bullock x-factor and how the Mavericks could offer that to trump anything the Lakers offer. That being said, the Lakers have something that the Mavericks don’t: desperation.
Dallas doesn’t need to make a Reddish trade and certainly is not in a position to trade someone who they like for him. Los Angeles, meanwhile, might not be able to do much else on the trade market and could be more willing to trade assets for Reddish for that reason.
It isn’t like Reddish is going to completely tear down the Lakers’ future, either. Los Angeles has two second-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft that are both currently in the top 40 (their own and the Chicago Bulls). One of those with an expiring Kendrick Nunn contract should be more than enough.
Dallas doesn’t have the means to really beat that unless they include Bullock but that is not as much as the Milwaukee Bucks can potentially offer.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have the perfect blend of having more assets than the Los Angeles Lakers while also having a similar potential desire to make a trade as well. If the Bucks really want to trade for Reddish then he will ultimately be packing his bags and heading to Milwaukee instead of Los Angeles or Dallas.
Milwaukee currently has two second-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, two second-round picks in 2024 and one second-round pick in both 2025 and 2027. That means that Milwaukee has the surplus to offer multiple second-round picks for Reddish, which is something that the Lakers would be hard-pressed to do.
The Bucks also have plenty of reason to take a flier on someone like Reddish and hope he turns it around. Milwaukee is another team that has gotten the most out of role players in the past and they are in a position where they need it.
The team is always in the running because of Giannis Antetokounmpo but after a hot start, the results have been mildly disappointing for the team. There is not much wing depth to speak of and the Bucks would benefit immensely if a young, fresh face stepped in off the bench.
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Milwaukee can piece together the salaries with the back-end rotation players and offer multiple second-round picks for Reddish. With the team not having many other options (like the Los Angeles Lakers), they are more likely to do that than the Mavericks are to trade Bullock.